Indie Film Box Office: Netflix Reports 'La Bola Negra' Grosses in Historic First
Specialty Box Office Curves a New Path with Netflix's Historic Report
Netflix's Spanish drama La Bola Negra has made box office history, achieving its first-ever official grosses with a strong debut. The film opened to $277.5k on four screens, according to the streaming giant's Sunday report.
La Bola Negra, a TIFF audience award-winner, saw impressive numbers on its opening weekend: $108.3k on Friday and $84.6k on Saturday, resulting in a three-day per-screen average of $69.4k. This marks the highest opening gross for a non-English language film at the Angelika, The Paris, and AMC Century City (excluding dubbed anime).
The film, based on an unfinished play by Federico García Lorca, launched at select theaters in New York and Los Angeles, including the Paris Theater, Angelika, AMC Century City, and Burbank. Netflix is providing the festival favorite with a 45-day theatrical window, marking a new era in box office reporting under global theatrical distribution head Spencer Klein. It will expand in New York and Los Angeles and then to other major markets before its wider release on November 6.
La Bola Negra has garnered buzz since its Cannes world premiere, where directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi won the Best Director award for the R-rated, era-spanning story. The film follows the interconnected lives of three gay men and has been praised for its unique marketing campaign, including out-of-home advertising, social media promotion, and community screenings.
In a testament to its cultural impact, La Bola Negra has been named Spain's Oscar entry for Best International Feature, further emphasizing its significance in the world of cinema.