The Spanish production released in only 4 theaters has made history. La Bola Negra (The Black Ball), the film on which the platform pinned its hopes for awards season, earned a total of 277 thousand 500 dollars in just 4 theaters in the US. The film broke a record among Spanish-language productions. Averaging 69 thousand 375 dollars per theater, the film delivered the second-best opening of all time on this scale among non-English-language films. The top spot belongs to Parasite, which earned 393 thousand 216 dollars in three theaters in 2019, while Fjord, distributed by Neon, had grossed 124 thousand dollars in 4 theaters. Glenn Close and Penélope Cruz also star in the film.
Netflix plans to first show the film, which will arrive on the platform on December 2, in theaters for 45 days and expand it to 300 theaters. This will be the company’s longest theatrical window. Based on Federico García Lorca’s unfinished work, the film tells the story of three gay men in 1932, 1937, and 2017. It was directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi. The film received a 20-minute standing ovation at Cannes, shared the Best Director award, and won the People’s Choice Award in Toronto. Netflix had acquired the rights for approximately 5 million dollars.
Why it matters
The development carries a signal about how streaming platforms measure success. Netflix’s move to devote its longest theatrical window to date to this film and to share box office figures with the public shows that it is using theater performance as a trump card in awards season. The company had previously disclosed box office data for Glass Onion as well; the novelty, therefore, is not the disclosure itself but the four-theater release being turned into a promotional tool built on its per-theater average. The real question remains open: will the intense interest in the limited theaters continue with the expansion to 300 theaters and the platform release on December 2? The answer will determine the return on the approximately 5 million dollars rights investment and the platform’s awards season strategy going forward.
Background
Sadece is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: we have published 5 stories featuring this name in the last 90 days; the most recent is dated October 7, 2026.