Catalan language film 'Wolfgang' leads box office sales across Spain on debut weekend

'Wolfgang' opened in cinemas this weekend and instantly topped box office sales across Spain. 

The film, an adaptation of a novel of the same name by Laia Aguilar, directed by filmmaker Javier Ruiz Caldera, attracted 95,411 spectators in cinemas across Spain in its first three days, collecting €677,127 in ticket sales.

These figures make it the most successful debut for a Catalan language feature film in recent years, surpassing 'El 47', which saw 32,812 spectators all across Spain, bringing in €245,245 in its first days in theatres.

It also surpasses 'Casa en flames', which had 20,490 spectators on its opening weekend, taking in €148,069 at the box office, as well as 'Alcarràs', which gathered 59,273 spectators made €419,411.

'Wolfgang' performed better on its debut weekend than 'El 47', which during its run in cinemas in Spain attracted 600,000 viewers across the country, collecting a total of €3.8 million at the box office.

Marcel Barrena's work is the Catalan film that has attracted the most viewers in at least four decades, overtaking the half a million viewers of 'Plaça del Diamant', from 1982.

The almost 100,000 viewers of 'Wolfgang' between March 14 and 16 accounted for 17% of the total number of attendees in cinemas throughout Spain.

'Wolfgang' was being shown in 320 cinemas across the country, with an average collection of around €2,000 each.

Starring Jordi Catalán and Miki Esparbé, 'Wolfgang (Extraordinary)' tells the story of a boy with a high IQ and autism spectrum disorder, who is forced to live with his father whom he has never seen before, after the death of his mother.

Director Ruiz Caldera explained in an interview with the Catalan News Agency that he wanted to approach the project with "responsibility," aware that it dealt with "deep" issues.

"It's a film for all ages, and I think it's beautiful because it's not so common," Ruiz Caldera said.