‘A todo tren 2’ crowns a Spanish box office that rises slightly but continues at very low times

Of the very few 2.78 million euros and 418,761 admissions from Friday to Sunday that the Spanish box office recorded last week; we went to 3.64 million receipts at the hands of 537,493 spectators, a sad climb for sure. Thus the weekend from 2 to 4 December did not arrive with that boost necessary for the cinemas of our country, and if in front of those just over two million one looked at the expectation generated by the world championships; this week We can only think that the bridge plans of most Spaniards fail while enjoying the latest releases.

Despite these very low figures, ‘A todo tren 2’, released in 539 copies, It has managed to crown the Spanish box office, although it does so with 929,433 euros, a drop from the first installment.. This isn’t too surprising—it’s not the first sequel to fail to hold interest after the original film’s triumph—but it is surprising considering the circumstances under which ‘Full Speed! Destination Asturias. That film, with Santiago Segura among the protagonists, the filmmaker who also directed on that occasion; It came out at an even more complicated time than the current one for theaters. In that summer of 2021, when it seemed we were leaving the pandemic behind, “Full train!” was made with 1.2 million in its first weekend, marking the best debut of a domestic production in 2021. All at a time when moviegoers were still hesitating when it came to returning to the cinema. To compare with another sequel to the Segura phenomenon: ‘There is only one father 2’ raised 1.4 million euros in the much more difficult summer of 2020.

In second position and at a more than reasonable distance we find ‘Strange World’ in its second week of salt. The Disney film, released with a fair amount of 640,000 euros, drops by 30% this week, collecting 447,838 euros and going from 614 screens to 604. It goes without saying that with this drop it is difficult for him to resist the onslaught of “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish”, which will hit Spanish cinemas on December 21, but it holds up moderately enough to scratch a little more until then. In contrast, ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ drops only 26% from last week’s 60%, which means it loses the second position but without saying goodbye to so many viewers. Compared to the previous weekend, this sequel dealing with the death of Chadwick Boseman, gathered 52,196 spectators and adds another 389,951 euros reaching a total of 6,375,771 euros.

The positive surprise is found in fourth place with ‘As bestas’ gaining viewers. Word of mouth must have favored this film directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen, which in its fourth week manages to recover after suffering a 43% drop the previous weekend. With takings of 344,374 euros and a cumulative amount of over two million euros, this film which stars Marie Colomb and Denis Ménochet, loses only one position but numbers are improving, something tremendously positive that portends a good upkeep for Christmas.

And closing the top 5: ‘The menu’, a film starring Ralph Fiennes and Anya Taylor-Joy that manages to sneak into the highest grossing, leaving behind two other releases of the week: ‘Venus’ and ‘Silent Night’. The aforementioned film directed by Mark Myloid sneaks into fifth position with a collection of 313,948 euros, ahead of the film by Jaume Balagueró directed by Ester Expósito which collects 205,000 euros. Enjoy as you like the Spanish terror and count on the ingredients of ‘Silent Night’, Universal’s Christmas proposal and full of action with David Harbor at the helm; their figures are disappointing. ‘Venus’ came out at the hands of 318 screens which help it rank sixth, but the fact that ‘Silent Night’ has 264 does not justify that it only collected 204,367 euros in its first weekend. Tremendous.

Almighty “Avatar”

Sure, distributors know what it’s like to take on a titan, which is why next week there will be few releases willing to stand up to what is already predicted to be one of the year’s blockbusters. That’s where “El despertar de María” from the hand of Filmax o ‘Aftersun’, a film starring Paul Mescal that delighted critics and continues to win awards on the independent film circuit; but in both cases the target audience has little to do with the viewer whose attention has a very marked goal right now: ‘Avatar: The Sense of Water’.

Next Friday, December 16, James Cameron returns to the big screen with a sequel that has made us wait 13 years., a film that absolutely delighted critics, according to initial reactions; and that he would arrive ready to finally wake up the Spanish box office. Hopefully the visual spectacular that Return to Pandora promises and enough 3D to restore faith in the format, have the rooms filled again. Exhibitors know it… it takes.