‘Alcarràs,’ a box office hit on opening weekend

‘Alcarràs’ has finally reached cinemas across Catalonia and Spain, and Carla Simón’s second feature film has proven a huge success on its opening weekend in theatres. 

The winner of the Golden Bear at this year’s Berlinale International Film Festival sold 56,000 cinema tickets across Spain to become the second most-watched premiere of the weekend, after arriving in theatres on Friday. 

In Catalonia, it was the number one most popular new release in theatres. In Spain, only ‘The Northman’ sold more tickets than Simón’s film, with about twice as many visitors to cinemas. 

In total, ‘Alcarràs’ has taken in around €404,000 at the box office so far. These positive figures come despite the fact that the film has yet to arrive in some cinemas across the country. 

This weekend, the film that pays homage to farming life in rural western Catalonia was played on 169 screens, while distributors plan to increase this number throughout the week.

Speaking to the Catalan News Agency, the producer of 'Alcarràs' Tono Folguera said that they were "very happy" but not surprised by the warm reception, as they predicted that the premiere would be a success. 

However, Folguera noted his satisfaction with the fact that the film was the most-watched in some places outside Catalonia such as Galicia, Salamanca, León, and Valladolid. 

"It is a film in Catalan that transcends our borders and brings the language and culture beyond Catalonia, which makes it a double satisfaction," he said.

The producer encouraged the public to see the film to support Catalan cinema and cinema theatres in general, which he pointed out are going through a difficult time. 

‘Alcarràs’ tells the story of the last fruit harvest that a family goes through on their farm before they must leave the land after the owners decide to install solar panels. It’s a tribute to rural life, family farms, and respectful agriculture, and made history as the first-ever Catalan film to take the biggest award at one of the most prestigious international film festivals in the world in Berlin in February.

For a deeper dive into the film 'Alcarràs,' the work of filmmaker Carla Simón, and Catalan cinema as a whole, check out the latest episode of our podcast Filling the Sink below.