Netflix Box Office History Made: First-Ever Report Reveals La Bola Negra's $277,500 Opening

The Netflix box office story nobody thought they'd ever read has finally been written: for the first time in its history, Netflix has publicly reported theatrical box office results, releasing the weekend grosses for its Spanish-language drama La Bola Negra. The film earned $277,500 across just four theatres in New York and Los Angeles — a landmark disclosure that signals how seriously the streamer is now taking the big screen.

Playing at the Paris Theater and Angelika in New York plus AMC Century City and Burbank in Los Angeles, the film posted a per-screen average of roughly $69,375 — and Netflix isn't being shy about what that figure means.

Record-Breaking Numbers for a Spanish-Language Film

According to Netflix, the $69,375 per-screen average is the second-highest ever for a non-English-language film, trailing only Parasite, which averaged $131,072 from three screens in 2019. It is also the highest per-screen average ever recorded for a Spanish-language film, and the highest non-English opening at the Angelika, the Paris and AMC Century City, excluding dubbed anime.

For context, those are the kind of arthouse numbers most studios would celebrate — and they came from a Spanish-language drama in only four auditoriums.

Why Netflix Opened Its Books Now

The move is a clear escalation of Netflix's theatrical ambitions under Spencer Klein, the company's global head of theatrical distribution. Netflix has planned a 45-day theatrical window for La Bola Negra — its longest theatrical rollout to date — expanding the release to around 300 theatres before the film begins streaming on December 2, 2026.

The timing is no accident: the film won the audience award at the Toronto International Film Festival and is Spain's official entry for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Netflix acquired the U.S. rights at Cannes for a reported $5 million after the film received a 16-minute standing ovation — and strong box office numbers now become part of its awards-season campaign.

A Prestige Drama With Serious Star Power

Directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi — the filmmaking duo known as "Los Javis" — La Bola Negra is based on an unfinished play by Spanish writer Federico García Lorca and follows three interconnected gay men across different eras. The cast includes Glenn Close, Penélope Cruz, Milo Quifes and Carlos González, and the film currently holds a Metacritic score of 83 and a Rotten Tomatoes score of roughly 87%, per The Playlist.

What This Means for Netflix's Cinema Future

Netflix releasing grosses at all is the real headline. The streamer has historically kept its theatrical numbers quiet, treating cinemas as a prestige stepping stone rather than a business to report on. Publishing per-screen records and comparing them to Parasite suggests a shift: Netflix now wants exhibitors — and awards voters — to see it as a serious theatrical player.

If the 45-day window and the planned 300-theatre expansion deliver, expect more Netflix titles to get the full red-carpet box office treatment. The streamer's relationship with cinemas has always been complicated; this weekend, at least, it came with receipts.

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