In an interview with CNN en Español, Javier Calvo answers the question that has been asked the most since Cannes: how a period film with three timelines and thousands of extras costs “less than 15 million euros”. His explanation was that “they can do it between two people.” And the film isn’t exactly cheap. Let’s review and compare image by image.
But how much has it cost? The ICAA resolution that granted the film 1 million euros in general aid in October 2025 includes a budget of 9.9 million, but only the Spanish portion is counted. The ICAA catalog file attributes 90% of the co-production to Spain and 10% to France, so the total cost of the film will be around 11 million. From there, it can be rounded up to 14 million by adding promotion and distribution, or say $15 million with currency exchange, as it began distribution in the United States. Calvo’s goal is “less than 15”.
how much is it 9.9 million rupees is too much to produce a film in Spain. The average cost of a Spanish feature film in 2024 is around 2.8 million. Only the Spanish portion of ‘The Black Ball’ multiplies that average by 3.5. All that money does not come from the same pocket. The applicant for aid is the company Los Esquiadores, AIE, which concentrates 98.32% of the Spanish share.
How much money do you earn? If ‘The Black Ball’ sounds like a bargain, it has been a box office spectacular. This week it earned 34.3 million euros and 5.1 million viewers, becoming the fourth highest-grossing Spanish film in history in national theaters. In the US, Netflix, which is releasing it there, posted its box office haul, which it hasn’t done with a release in ten years, to boast an estimated $277,619 in its opening weekend in just four theaters.
Why is it easy? Calvo and Ambrosi described for CNN how the work hours were distributed. Ambrosi said they selected “thousands of extras one after another” by reviewing videos and castings, and Calvo could prepare with the cinematography every day while he was doing it. “A director can’t cast thousands of extras,” he said.
They are all in it. Both produce. The ICAA filing credits Ambrosi as a producer and lists Suma Content Films, the company they share, among the production companies. But the film appears to be written, directed and produced by both of them, which means that Calvo’s multiplier counts on the day: two people who perform different functions and who can be in two places at the same time.
Equipment. Curiously, the director couple is not always counted as one head. In the United States, since the 1978 agreement, the Directors Guild (DGA) recognizes only one director per film as a safeguard against producers and stars. Exceptions exist, among them the so-called Truthful partywhich the union reserves for those who have previously led and are proven to have served as sole directors. For example, until ‘Ladykiller’ in 2004, the Coen brothers did not request a co-directing exemption and Robert Rodriguez left the union to credit Frank Miller as co-director of ‘Sin City’.
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