Netflix Reports Grosses for First Time Ever With 'La Bola Negra'

Key Points:

• Netflix has reported box office grosses for the first time with its awards contender "La Bola Negra," which earned $277,500 from four theaters, averaging $69,375 per location—marking the second-highest screen average ever for a non-English language film behind "Parasite."
• "La Bola Negra," a queer epic directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, received critical acclaim including a 16-minute standing ovation at Cannes and awards at Cannes and Toronto, prompting Netflix to plan a 45-day theatrical window before its December 2 streaming release.
• Historically, Netflix has treated theatrical releases mainly as marketing tools without disclosing box office results, but this shift toward transparency coincides with company restructuring and aims to leverage uniform box office data to bolster awards campaigns.
• Netflix intends to continue reporting box office grosses for upcoming high-profile films such as David Fincher’s "The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth," Greta Gerwig’s "Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew," and Taika Waititi’s "Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory," signaling a stronger commitment to theatrical distribution.
• This new approach benefits movie theaters by supporting the post-pandemic box office recovery and reflects Netflix's evolving strategy to balance streaming with traditional theatrical releases amid industry changes.