BOX OFFICE Spain
A bumper weekend
by Valeria Chiari
08/10/2003 - It has been a bumper weekend for Spanish cinema with Friday’s releases causing a storm at the box office. Starting with Carmen by Vicente Aranda , which took €1.4 million from its first weekend on release, in 180 prints. To describe these results as incredible would be underestimating them, especially given the current crisis in the cinema and distribution. There were also good returns for the other films released in Spain at the weekend, like Dìas de futbol the comedy by David Serrano distributed in 211 prints, which has taken more than €1.1 million in its first weekend. These figures are up 50% on the takings for another strong national film released during the same period, El otro lado de la cama, the romantic comedy directed by Emilio Martínez Lázaro and written by David Serrano. This was released in 200 prints and it registered takings just over €500,000.
But the real record goes to Julio Medem, and his documentary La pelota vasca, which took more than €236,000 from its 32 prints. The controversial film about the current situation in the Basque region features a series of interviews about the issue has registered the extremely high average of €7,400 per print, the best at the national box office, and putting the documentary in the top ten of most popular films, with an audience of 46,700.
(Translated from Italian)
