Netflix Reports Box Office Grosses for the First Time

Netflix has taken an unusual step toward theatrical transparency, officially reporting box office results for the first time as the Spanish drama “La Bola Negra” opened in four U.S. theaters.

The film earned $277,500 over the weekend, according to figures supplied by Netflix and reported by Variety and Deadline. That works out to an average of roughly $69,375 per location, a particularly strong measure for a limited arthouse release. The opening included two theaters in New York and two in the Los Angeles area.

A small release with a large industry signal

The total is modest compared with a nationwide studio launch, but the per-screen performance gives the debut wider significance. Variety ranked it as the second-highest opening average for a non-English-language film, behind “Parasite,” and the strongest ever for a Spanish-language title.

Just as notable is the company behind the numbers. Netflix has long guarded theatrical grosses even when giving prestige films a cinema run. By publicly sharing the weekend results itself, the streamer has offered exhibitors, filmmakers and awards observers a clearer view of how one of its releases is performing before it reaches the platform.

“La Bola Negra” prepares to expand

Directed by Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, the drama is inspired by an unfinished play by Federico García Lorca. Deadline reported that the film won the audience award at the Toronto International Film Festival and is receiving a 45-day theatrical window. Its rollout will expand beyond New York and Los Angeles in the coming weeks before a broader release on November 6.

The film’s first weekend also provided a useful test for Netflix’s new theatrical distribution leadership. A strong specialty opening does not guarantee success once more screens are added, but the initial demand gives the company a compelling reason to keep reporting.

For an industry that depends on public weekend data to measure momentum, the bigger story may be the precedent. “La Bola Negra” did more than post an impressive opening average: it persuaded the world’s largest streaming service to put an official number on the board.