More than 600,000 people saw La Bola Negra in Spanish cinemas during its first weekend, according to producer Atresmedia. The film opened there on September 25 and earned nearly €4.7 million from Friday through Sunday, according to box-office figures reported by Cadena SER from distributor Elastica.
That makes the drama Spain’s second-biggest opening for a Spanish film in the past ten years, behind Torrente Presidente, Atresmedia says. The company also ranks it ninth among Spanish-film openings of all time and fourth among all film openings in Spain this year. These are Spanish box-office figures, not worldwide totals.
Why are people going to see it?
Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi tell three connected stories set in 1932, 1937 and 2017. Carlos wants to join a private social club that judges him for being gay. Years later, soldier Sebastián guards a wounded prisoner during the Spanish Civil War. In the present, Alberto looks into a secret from his family’s past.
The film runs 2 hours and 40 minutes. Calvo and Ambrossi built its three-part story after returning to Alberto Conejero’s 2013 play La piedra oscura. The film also draws from an unfinished manuscript by Federico García Lorca, whose work connects the stories across the decades.
The film takes its title from an unfinished work by Federico García Lorca. Guitarricadelafuente makes his acting debut as Sebastián, alongside Miguel Bernardeau as Rafael. The cast also includes Penélope Cruz, Glenn Close and Lola Dueñas. Netflix’s newly released U.S. trailer shows more of the three timelines and includes “La Nieve,” an original song by Guitarricadelafuente.
Awards attention before the U.S. release
The strong opening follows a busy festival run. The film won the audience award at Toronto, Sydney and San Sebastián, according to Atresmedia, while Calvo and Ambrossi won Best Director at Cannes. Spain has also selected the film as its entry for the international-feature Oscar. That is a submission, not an Oscar nomination; the Academy will decide nominees later.
When can audiences outside Spain see it?
Netflix says La Bola Negra opens in New York and Los Angeles theaters on October 16, then expands through other U.S. and Canadian cities. The film is scheduled to arrive on Netflix in the U.S. on December 2. Atresmedia says Movistar Plus+ will carry it in Spain after its theatrical run, but has not given a streaming date there.
Who plays the three leads?
The three stories in La Bola Negra
The film is still playing in Spanish cinemas. Its U.S. and Canadian rollout begins in October, so the Spanish opening does not tell us what its North American box office will be.
