Netflix closing on 'La Bola Negra' U.S. rights

Netflix is closing in on U.S. rights to “La Bola Negra,” the Cannes competition title from Spanish filmmakers Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, after a festival bidding contest that drew multiple buyers. Deadline reported on May 24 that the deal was shaping up in the $4 million to $5 million range for U.S. rights, while Variety reported Netflix had landed the film after the chase. The move came a day after the 79th Cannes Film Festival ended on May 23 in Cannes, France. It also followed a strong festival run for the Spanish-language film, which won a Cannes directing prize for Calvo and Ambrossi. ### How far along is the Netflix deal? Deadline reported on May 24 that Netflix was “closing in” on the U.S. rights, describing the package as a record-sized domestic deal for a non-English-language title in the $4 million to $5 million range. Variety, in a separate May 24 report, said Netflix had landed the film for the United States after a bidding war. Trade reports did not indicate that Netflix had publicly announced the acquisition terms. The available reporting points to a U.S. rights deal rather than a global buyout, with the sale centered on the American market. ### Why did this film become one of Cannes’ main sales stories? Variety reported that “La Bola Negra” sparked a multi-studio bidding war after its Cannes premiere. Yahoo, carrying a Variety report, said the film drew a 16-minute standing ovation in Cannes, while Deadline reported a 20-minute ovation after the world premiere. Cannes itself gave the film a major prize on May 23. The festival’s official winners list said Calvo and Ambrossi shared the Best Director Prize at the 79th Festival de Cannes. That award put the film among the most decorated competition titles of the closing weekend. ### Who made “La Bola Negra,” and who is in it? Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, the Spanish directing and writing duo known as Los Javis, directed “La Bola Negra.” Deadline reported that the cast includes Spanish musician Guitarricadelafuente in his screen debut alongside Miguel Bernardeau, Penélope Cruz and Glenn Close. Variety described the film as an epic project from Los Javis and reported that Cruz and Close appear in supporting roles. The filmmakers told Variety before the premiere that they had wanted to make a large-scale queer story, with Ambrossi saying, “We deserve to have big movies.” ### What did Cannes audiences and awards voters respond to? Gold Derby said “La Bola Negra” drew one of the festival’s strongest audience responses and singled out the supporting performances from Penélope Cruz and Glenn Close. Deadline’s premiere coverage said the film was the third Spanish title to debut in competition at Cannes this year. The official Cannes winners list added the clearest institutional endorsement. On May 23, the festival named Calvo and Ambrossi co-winners of the Best Director Prize, sharing the honor in a competition that also included Pawel Pawlikowski’s “Fatherland.” ### What happens next for the film in the United States? Netflix’s next move is to complete the U.S. rights deal reported by Deadline and Variety. The companies involved in festival sales have not, in the available reports, laid out a release calendar, theatrical plan or streaming date. The next concrete milestone will be a formal acquisition announcement or U.S. release details from Netflix and the film’s sales representatives. Those details would determine when American audiences can see “La Bola Negra,” which emerged from Cannes on May 23 as both an award winner and one of the market’s biggest late-festival sales stories.