So, just how big a hit was that Brazilian movie about Moses that opened last week?
Before it came out, some people were saying that Os Dez Mandamentos could become the biggest local box-office hit in Brazil’s history, given its strong pre-ticket sales.
Now Variety reports that, while the film did have a very good first weekend — earning the equivalent of $6.1 million in U.S. currency — it hasn’t set any new records yet:
Premiering on Jan. 28, Brazilian biblical epic “Moses and the 10 Commandments,” the first theatrical film produced by broadcaster TV Record, scored R$24.1 million ($6.1 million) at Brazil’s box office, marking the biggest four-day weekend bow for a local pic in almost two years.
Bowing on 1,162 screens, and released by Brazilian distributors Downtown Filmes and Paris Filmes, “Moses” snagged 2.1 million admissions, with a strong average of 1,838 tickets per screen, according to Filme B, Brazil’s leading source of film statistical analysis. . . .
In absolute terms, “Moses” represents the fifth best opening since March 2014 – when Brazil moved films’ release day to Thursdays – in a ranking led by Disney’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” ($12.6 million) and UPI’s “Furious 7” ($11.9 million).
The standout “Moses” results, however, are still far from those from Brazilian 2010’s smash hit “Elite Squad 2,” which snagged a $7.9 million record in its first weekend. . . .
Elite Squad 2 went on to gross about $63 million in total — or nearly eight times what it made in its opening weekend. Time will tell if Os Dez Mandamentos, a big-screen re-edit of a widely-seen TV series, has that kind of staying power.
Here is the trailer for the feature-film version of Os Dez Mandamentos: