La Bola Negra won the Premio del Público at the Festival de San Sebastián and drew 175,000 spectators across 414 cinemas in Spain on opening day, information from Rentrak. It became the country's top release that day, giving Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi a commercial hit alongside their festival success.
The figures stand out. Data cited after the closing gala ranked La Bola Negra second among the best opening days for a Spanish film in the past decade. Only Torrente, presidente opened higher.
Before its Spanish release, La Bola Negra had already won the Audience Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, adding international recognition before its San Sebastián result.
The opening also reportedly surpassed Christopher Nolan's La Odisea. It ranked ahead of titles such as Vengadores: Endgame in the current cinema market.
If that pace holds through the weekend, the opening could lift total Spanish cinema revenue above the best post-pandemic annual figure, 82 million euros.
Calvo said the reaction had left him somewhat overwhelmed, while also making him feel useful. He pointed to queues outside cinemas as clear evidence of the film's reach. Ambrossi said audiences were leaving screenings emotionally affected. Users posted TikTok videos of their reactions before and after the film; some embraced afterwards.
The response brought further recognition at San Sebastián. Published festival reports put the audience score at 9.40, while the prize included 50,000 euros for the distributor.
For Los Javis, the public award and immediate box-office result point to a favourable reception backed by ticket sales: a large audience chose the film at the cinema.
The film's wider awards prospects were discussed in an earlier Oscar report. The San Sebastián prize and opening-day figures provide another measure of its impact in Spain. One result came from the festival audience; the other came from ticket buyers across the country.
The Spanish theatrical release began on 25 September 2026. Movistar Plus+, Suma Content and Atresmedia were among the companies associated with the production and release.
The success has already shifted the filmmakers' plans. Calvo and Ambrossi began writing another film during the summer, then paused work as attention around La Bola Negra grew.
Ambrossi said they no longer knew exactly what they wanted to make. Events around the current release had changed their view of the initial idea.
The next project lost a planned research trip, canceled after they decided the timing was wrong. Calvo has argued that they should keep their feet on the ground despite the sudden scale of the success. Ambrossi said their partnership still steadies their professional adventure.
The directors also received further recognition: published accounts say Calvo and Ambrossi won a directing award at Cannes 2026.
The Toronto audience prize and the San Sebastián result place the Spanish opening within a wider festival campaign, not as an isolated domestic surprise.
La Bola Negra's performance brings another prize for Los Javis into contact with a measurable audience: the film opened with 1.3 million euros and sparked a national conversation in cinemas and on TikTok.
Several industry reports cite figures of roughly 1.3 to 1.32 million euros and 175,000 spectators. Some coverage notes that fully confirmed official box-office statistics were not yet available; early totals may rely on preliminary data or trade estimates.
For Spanish cinema, the result is impressive. The film's immediate commercial performance could affect the annual picture, as well as the filmmakers' personal record.
