'The Black Ball' aims high in Hollywood: 'Variety' magazine compares Los Javis' ambition to Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' in the Oscar race

The Black Ball continues to expand its international impact. The film by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, known as Los Javis, has captured the attention of Variety, one of the reference publications in the American film industry, which dedicates its cover to the film and places it at the center of the conversation about the upcoming Oscar awards. The magazine even suggests that the Spanish production could be one of the few capable of disputing the prominence of 'The Odyssey', Christopher Nolan's super production.

Journalist Dan D'Addario highlights the narrative ambition of both films and finds common ground between their proposals, despite the enormous budget difference. "'The Odyssey' is a technically dazzling examination of the power of love in the face of the madness of war, while 'The Black Ball' is... also all that, only made with a much smaller budget," he writes in the article.

The comparison represents a significant boost for Los Javis, who have gone from consolidating their career in Spain to being part of the conversations in the American industry. Variety also responds to those who believe that the directors still lack sufficient international recognition to compete with filmmakers of Nolan's stature. To do this, D'Addario recalls the case of the Daniels, the duo formed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, who surprised at the 2023 Oscars by beating Steven Spielberg with Everything Everywhere All at Once.

The reference points to a significant precedent: that of filmmakers who, without starting with the same industrial prestige as their competitors, managed to conquer the Academy with an original proposal. In the case of La bola negra, specialized press predictions already contemplate possible candidacies in categories such as best picture, best international feature film, and adapted screenplay, although official nominations are still pending.

London and Lyon continue to consecrate Los Javis' international journey

The international projection of La bola negra has also become visible in its passage through two important European film events. The team presented the film at the London Film Festival, where Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi attended along with several of its protagonists, including Penélope Cruz, Miguel Bernardeau, and Guitarricadelafuente. The film's presence at the British festival has reinforced its visibility outside of Spain in the midst of awards season.

A few days later, Los Javis continued their journey in Lyon, where they presented the film at the Lumière Festival. There, Los Javis received a plaque on the Wall of Filmmakers, located in the historic factory of the Lumière brothers in Lyon, considered the birthplace of the cinematograph. This space pays homage to fundamental figures in the history of cinema, including Claude Chabrol, David Lynch, Paul Thomas Anderson, Pedro Almodóvar, Martin Scorsese, Tim Burton, Jane Campion, Quentin Tarantino, and Wong Kar-wai.

The presence of Los Javis in this environment symbolically places them alongside filmmakers who have marked different generations. London and Lyon thus join an international trajectory that had already passed through festivals such as Cannes and Toronto, where the film received important recognitions.

La bola negra is already in the top 10 highest-grossing Spanish films

Hollywood's interest comes after the film has become one of the great commercial phenomena of Spanish cinema. La bola negra continues to break records at the Spanish box office. Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi's film has reached 26.4 million euros in revenue after 20 days in theaters, according to Elástica's estimates. The film added around 732,000 euros on its third Spectator's Day, a result 41% lower than the previous week, but which confirms its commercial strength.

This new accumulated total consolidates its climb among the highest-grossing Spanish films in history. When it surpassed 23.5 million euros, the film had already reached the seventh position in the historical ranking, ahead of titles such as Agora, Torrente 2: Mission in Marbella, and The Great Adventure of Mortadelo and Filemón. With the latest data, it also surpasses the collection attributed to A Monster Calls (26.1M).

Furthermore, the film already surpassed Torrente Presidente in collection during its first 17 days in theaters. According to data, it had reached 23.5 million euros on Sunday, October 11, about three million more than Santiago Segura's film in the same exhibition period. Since then, its collection has continued to grow to 26.4 million euros after 20 days in cinemas. Despite this initial advantage, Torrente Presidente maintains an accumulated collection of around 28.13 million euros, so Los Javis' film needs to add about 1.7 million to surpass it also in the overall count. The next opportunity to close the gap will come with the Cinema Party, which begins on Monday and could give a new boost to its run in theaters: although seeing the trend, it is about to reach that level of collection.

Guitarricadelafuente could also enter the Oscar race

The possible presence of La bola negra at the Oscars is not limited to film categories. The song La nieve, linked to Guitarricadelafuente and Raül Refree, also appears in predictions for the best original song award. For now, this is a possibility included in specialists' predictions, not a confirmed candidacy.

The film's journey is also putting the spotlight on Guitarricadelafuente's acting debut. His work is generating interest among critics and specialized international press, who point to him as one of the names to follow in the awards season. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the singer and the rest of the cast will be promoted in the supporting acting categories, a strategy that also includes Miguel Bernardeau, Carlos González, Penélope Cruz, Lola Dueñas, and Glenn Close. The outlet also considers Guitarricadelafuente to be one of the candidates with the most options within the male cast, although there are no confirmed Oscar nominations yet.

The combination of critical acclaim, commercial success, and an ambitious international campaign has made Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi's film one of the most prominent Spanish entries of the season. Variety even contemplates the possibility of it competing for the Oscar for best picture, while its distribution in the United States through Netflix expands its international projection. Should these expectations materialize, La bola negra could mark a milestone for Los Javis and for Spanish cinema.

A story inspired by Federico García Lorca

La bola negra starts from Federico García Lorca's unfinished work to construct a narrative that connects the lives of three homosexual men in different eras. Through their stories, the film explores identity, desire, memory, and the consequences of repression, tracing a link between different generations.

The work also dialogues with the universe of 'La piedra oscura' by Alberto Conejero, and recovers historical and social issues that are still present in contemporary debate. Its narrative and thematic approach, coupled with a cinematic staging, helps explain the interest it has aroused both at festivals and among American critics.

With the cover of 'Variety', its success in Spanish cinemas, and its growing international consecration, Los Javis are going through one of the most important moments of their career. The comparison with 'The Odyssey' does not guarantee a nomination or an award, but it confirms that 'La bola negra' is already part of an international conversation that places Spanish cinema before an extraordinary opportunity.