Alfonso Cuarón Laments Low Theater Count For 'Roma' In Mexico As Film Earns Respectable Box Office Totals

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The great Netflix release strategy experiment surrounding Alfonso Cuarón’s “Roma” has been decidedly…uneventful. With the streaming service deciding to release the film exclusively in select theaters before the film hits Netflix globally in December, all eyes were on the new Mexican drama to see if it would become the game-changer that many thought it might be. However, after the first five days, the results are mixed, with earnings estimates being pretty good but Cuarón, himself, being a bit disappointed.

READ MORE: ‘Roma’: Alfonso Cuaron Explains Why Oscar-Winning DP Emmanuel Lubezski Passed On The Film

First, let’s talk the good news. Unfortunately, with Netflix “four-walling” (renting the rooms directly from the theater) the release, there’s no official box office stats to examine. However, that doesn’t mean that estimates haven’t surfaced. Over at Deadline, sources say that “Roma” earned a total of $200,000 in its first 5 days of release, domestically. Considering the total comes from only three theaters, “Roma” earned a per theater average of almost $67,000. And that’s definitely not something to take lightly.

You would think that numbers like this would be something that Netflix would like to talk about, but the streaming service is notoriously tight-lipped with any sort of stats, so official numbers will likely never come. That being said, one official number we do know is 40. And it’s that number that seems to be bugging “Roma’s” director Alfonso Cuarón.

READ MORE: Academy Members Call Netflix’s Release Strategy To Secure A Best Picture Nom For ‘Roma’ A “Big Con” & “Fake”

You see, “Roma,” which tells the intensely personal story of a middle-class family living in Mexico City in 1971, is only being screened in a total of 40 cinemas in Mexico. This is something that Cuarón recently lamented on Twitter. The filmmaker posted that he wished “Roma” would show in more theaters in his home country, as the film is specifically made for the theatrical experience and is considered one of the best films of the year, period.

Apparently, the reason for the limited number of Mexican locations showing the film has to do with Netflix’s contentious relationship with the theater chains Cinépolis and Cinemex. Sadly, it appears that the companies couldn’t work out an agreement. So, as it stands now, “Roma” will only be shown in 40 locations in Mexico. As Cuarón points out, that number is less than the 57 locations in Poland and the 50 locations in South Korea that will be showing “Roma.”

So, it appears that the same with any sort of new strategy, Netflix has to work out the kinks. However, let’s hope “Roma” doesn’t ultimately suffer in the process.