2013 marked a turning point as Eugenio Derbez once and for all exorcised the box office for Latino films in the United States. His debut feature film Instructions Not Included broke all-time records and became the highest grossing Spanish-language film in the country with a whopping $44.46 million. For over a decade, particularly right after the 2000 census, different distribution companies tried to lure (most of them in vain) Latino audiences in the U.S. Trough the years, many companies closed and the few success stories were not as convincing. Yet Derbez created a product that worked perfectly both at home in Mexico as well as with Latino communities across the country giving the key to Pantalion (the Lionsgate-Televisa joint distribution partnership) to the box office.
The list of the top ten grossing Latino films of the year includes three Mexican films, two Chilean films, two Spanish films, and three U.S. productions, combining both art-house favorites such as Pedro Almodóvar, Pablo Larraín, and Sebastián Silva, with more popular cinema including the film by Derbez and Filly Brown which features the late Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera.
Complete list of top grossing Latino films of 2013:
1. Instructions Not Included (Eugenio Derbez, Pantelion Films), $44,467,4206
2. Machete Kills (Robert Rodriguez, Open Road Films), $8,008,161
3. Pulling Strings (Pitipol Ybarra, Pantelion Films), $5,842,961
4. Filly Brown (Youssef Delara and Michael D. Olmos, Pantelion Films), $2,850,357
5. No (Pablo Larraín, Sony Pictures Classic), $2,343,664
6. Bless Me Ultima (Carl Franklin, Arenas Entertainment Films), $1,553,826
7. I'm So Excited (Pedro Almodóvar, Sony Pictures Classic), $1,368,119
8. Blancanieves (Pablo Berger, Cohen Media Group), $279,735
9. Crystal Fairy (Sebastián Silva, IFC Films), $192,441
10. Cinco de Mayo: The Battle (Rafa Lara, Pantelion Films), $173,472
Source: Boxofficemojo.com. For practical and informative reasons, films made in the U.S. and abroad were considered for this list.
Theatrical figures forNosotros los Nobles andMiracle in Spanish Harlemwere not reported.
