In a remarkable display of box office prowess, the Spanish comedy “Torrente for President” has made a significant impact, generating approximately €7.25 million (or .31 million) across 397 theaters. This impressive figure accounts for nearly two-thirds of the revenue for Spanish cinemas, marking the fourth highest opening for a national film in history.
The film’s debut only trails behind the English-language drama “The Impossible,” which earned €8.9 million in 2012, the fourth installment of the “James Bond” series at €8.4 million in 2011, and the comedy “Eight Catalan Surnames,” which garnered €7.9 million in 2015. Over the weekend from Friday to Sunday, the film attracted 915,815 viewers, surpassing the million mark by Tuesday.
The cumulative earnings of the six films in the franchise, helmed by actor and director Santiago Segura, now stand at an impressive 4.5 million. The journey began in 1998 with “Torrente, Stupid Hand of the Law,” which set a record for Spanish cinema with box office receipts of €10.98 million. Its sequel, released three years later, shattered its predecessor’s record, amassing €22.14 million.
Santiago Segura not only directs and writes but also stars as the protagonist, Luis Torrente, a former police officer characterized by his unattractiveness, baldness, corpulence, and a host of negative traits including corruption, deceit, fascism, racism, and chauvinism. This amalgamation of repulsive characteristics serves as a vehicle for social and political satire, eliciting mixed reactions from audiences; some find it hilarious while others are quick to turn away. In this latest installment, Torrente’s decision to run for president leads to a series of amusing and unpredictable situations.
In contrast, the animated feature “Jumpers” from Pixar experienced a 38% drop in its debut box office, earning .43 million in its second weekend and totaling .73 million over ten days. While “Jumpers” currently trails behind the summer release “Elemental,” the competition between the two films is far from over.
During its fifth weekend, “Storm Peak” brought in 2,000, reflecting a 44% decline, while the animated film “GOAT: Dream Big” earned 4,000 with a smaller 32% drop. After a month in theaters, their totals stand at .45 million and .3 million, respectively. Meanwhile, the slasher film “Scream 7” secured the fourth position, earning 7,000 with a 49% decrease in its third weekend, totaling .25 million after seventeen days.
The historical drama “Hamnet: The Story that Inspired Hamlet” maintained its sixth position in the chart, experiencing a 37% drop with 7,000 in its eighth weekend, bringing its total to .39 million. The Spanish survival drama “Balandrau” and the psychological thriller “The Maid,” based on the eponymous novel, swapped places in the seventh and eighth positions, respectively. “Balandrau” reported a 44% decline with 1,000 in its fourth weekend, totaling .23 million over twenty-four days, while “The Maid” saw a 49% drop, earning 5,000 in its eleventh weekend and accumulating €14.49 million (or million).
A catastrophic 75% drop in earnings relegated “The Bride!” from third to ninth place, with only ,000 in its second weekend and a total of 6,000 over ten days. Meanwhile, the third installment of “Avatar” made a return to the top ten, earning ,000 in its thirteenth weekend, with a total of €34.88 million (or .91 million), marking the ninth highest result in Spanish box office history.
Box Office Earnings Overview for Spain (Weekend of March 13-15)
Details of the box office earnings for the weekend are as follows:
- “Torrente for President”: €7.25 million
- “Jumpers”: .43 million
- “Storm Peak”: 2,000
- “GOAT: Dream Big”: 4,000
- “Scream 7”: 7,000
- “Hamnet”: 7,000
- “Balandrau”: 1,000
- “The Maid”: 5,000
- “The Bride!”: ,000
- “Avatar”: ,000
