Instructions Not Included / No se aceptan devoluciones, the directorial debut by Mexican comedian Eugenio Derbez proved as successful in the Mexican box office as it's been in the U.S. On Friday it had the biggest opening day for a Mexican film ever earning over $31 million pesos (about $2.4 million USD), and having been seen by over 750,000 people. In comparison, Gaz Alazraki's Nosotros los Nobles, which became the highest grossing Mexican film in history just last spring, made $28 million pesos in its opening day.
In the U.S., the film continues with its strong performance at the box office earning $5.7 million from 978 theaters with an average of $5,828 per screen and landing in the number four spot of the box office after four weeks in release. The film is very close to become the highest grossing Spanish-language film in this country as it will surpass Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth / El laberinto del fauno, the current record holder at $37.6 million.
Interviewed by newspaper El Economista, Derbez expressed disappointment and sadness at the selection of Amat Escalante's Heli as Mexico's candidate to the Foreign Language Oscar over his film: "I do not think my film is better or worse than any other, but I think the Mexican Academy should know what is best for the country in a festival, and I think mine fits perfectly with the profile of the Oscars. It is not me who is saying that, but rather the box office numbers in the U.S. If you asked me about Cannes, I'd tell you my film is not for them, but it is for the Oscars."
