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‘La bola negra’, directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, has become the third most successful Spanish film of all time, with 36,7 million euros taken and 5,4 million cinema-goers up to 1 November.
The production, starring Penélope Cruz and Glenn Close and inspired by Federico García Lorca, is only behind ‘Ocho apellidos vascos’ and ‘Lo imposible’.
The film’s success comes as Spanish box office revenues recover, with a 40% increase in takings during the first 41 weeks of 2026, reaching 489,4 million euros. This figure is 8% higher than the average for the same period before the pandemic.
The film has also managed to attract a younger audience than usual for the drama genre. According to data from Rentrak, almost 40% of those surveyed were under 35, while women accounted for more than 62%. Its success has also strengthened the role of independent distributors in the Spanish market.
In addition, ‘La bola negra’ has been preselected to represent Spain at the 2027 Oscars, a recognition that could further boost its box office run.
Despite the improvement in revenues, cinema attendance has still not returned to pre-pandemic levels. Between January and September, the number of cinema-goers rose by 29% compared with 2025, but remained 13% below the average recorded between 2017 and 2019.