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BOX OFFICE Portugal

The Courtyard of the Ballads becomes the most-seen Portuguese film ever

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- Leonel Vieira’s remake has made a splash at the box office in a year marked by the overall poor performance of local productions

The Courtyard of the Ballads becomes the most-seen Portuguese film ever
The Courtyard of the Ballads by Leonel Vieira

With over 392,000 tickets sold and more than €2 million grossed in 24 days of exhibition, Leonel Vieira’s The Courtyard of the Ballads [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
became the most-seen Portuguese film ever last weekend. These are exciting figures for NOS Lusomundo Audiovisuais, the most successful company in the Portuguese distribution market.

The Courtyard of the Ballads, the first film in a trilogy that has been dubbed “The New Classics” (read more), has taken over the position held up till now by Carlos Coelho da Silva’s The Crime of Father Amaro [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
(2005), which was seen by 380,000 people. The record also grants Vieira’s film a position in the top ten most-seen films released locally in 2015, standing out among US productions such as The Fast and the Furious 7, 50 Shades of Grey and Minions.

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While the figures achieved by The Courtyard of the Ballads have been impressive, local audiences have been less responsive to the other Portuguese productions released so far this year. In the top-five ranking of local films, João Leitão’s hilarious Capitão Falcão [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
(read more) occupies the number-two spot, with 27,309 tickets sold. The ranking continues with Jorge Pelicano’s brilliant documentary Suddenly My Thoughts Halt (5,260 – read more), Margarida Cardoso’s drama Yvone Kane [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
(2,587 – read more) and João Pedro Plácido’s docudrama (Be)Longing [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
(1,665 – read more).

Other Portuguese titles are scheduled for theatrical distribution before the end of the year, with the hope being to improve the – so far – poor performance of local titles at the box office. The three volumes of Miguel Gomes’ highly anticipated Arabian Nights [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Miguel Gomes
film profile
]
will be released on 27 August, 24 September and 1 October, respectively, while João Salaviza’s Mountain [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: João Salaviza
film profile
]
will open on 12 November, following its presentation at the upcoming editions of the Venice and San Sebastian Film Festivals. António Pedro Vasconcelo’s Amor Impossível and the second instalment in the “New Classics Trilogy”, Vieira’s O Leão da Estrela [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, will reach screens in December.

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