“Instructions” beats “Pan’s Labyrinth” as top grossing Spanish Language film

PanARMENIAN.Net - Pantelion Films’ Instructions Not Included becomes the highest grossing Spanish Language film ever released in the U.S., according to distributor Lionsgate, Deadline said.

With this weekend’s estimate of $3.38 million, the breakout family comedy/drama has a cume of $38.567M in its 5th weekend at the American box office.

Starring and directed by Eugenio Derbez, the pic has passed Pan’s Labyrinth‘s $37.6M as the new record holder.

It’s also the 4th biggest grossing foreign language film ever in the U.S., behind only Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Taiwan), Life is Beautiful (Italy), and Hero (China). Meanwhile, Instructions Not Included has yet to be released in Canada.

Word of mouth spread due to its ‘A+’ CinemaScore, and Instructions Not Included expanded its U.S. run to target crossover audiences.

Made for a $5M budget and acquired by Pantelion, it was the big story coming out of Labor Day Weekend for the best-ever domestic debut for a Spanish language film.

Pantelion Films is a joint venture between Lionsgate and Mexico’s media powerhouse Televisa with plans for 8-to-10 films per year.

Instructions Not Included (original Spanish title: No se aceptan devoluciones) is a 2013 Mexican comedy-drama.

The film follows Valentín, who is Acapulco's resident playboy, until a former fling leaves a baby on his doorstep and takes off without a trace. Leaving Mexico for Los Angeles to find the baby's mother, Valentín ends up jumping of a hotel into the pool rescuing his daughter, Maggie and ends up being a stuntman finding a new home for himself and his newfound daughter. An unlikely father figure, Valentín raises Maggie for six years, while also establishing himself as one of Hollywood's top stuntmen to pay the bills, with Maggie acting as his on-set coach. As Valentín raises Maggie, she forces him to grow up too. But their unique and offbeat family is threatened when Maggie's birth mother shows up out of the blue, and Valentín realizes he's in danger of losing his daughter as well as his best friend.