Eduardo Casanova's documentary flops in Spain: just 50 moviegoers
Eduardo Casanova's documentary 'Sidosa' drew only 50 viewers in Spanish cinemas, half of them journalists. Produced by Atresmedia and Jordi Évole, its failure reopens the debate over public subsidies.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Box office flop and subsidies: the Eduardo Casanova documentary nobody wanted to see
Fifty viewers. Half of them journalists. The figure that should embarrass any producer is the box office tally for 'Enferma', Eduardo Casanova's documentary about his experience with HIV while filming the series 'Aída'. Produced by Atresmedia and Jordi Évole, the film didn't even last two weeks in theaters. But the most striking thing isn't the number: it's that, according to published reports, it reached cinemas propped up with public money.
A multimillion-euro production nobody cares about
'Enferma' was presented at the Málaga Festival as an intimate account of hiding HIV during Casanova's time on the popular Antena 3 series. The director's story sought to raise awareness of the stigma, but audiences — at least those who pay for tickets — didn't respond. "It hasn't made enough to pay for the crew's pizzas," sums up an industry source. The question hanging in the air: how much did the production really cost taxpayers?
The public funding controversy
At the center of the debate is the origin of the funds. Atresmedia, the group that airs the series that made the director famous, co-financed the documentary alongside Évole's production company. But, as El Debate's article points out, the film also applied for official subsidies. The argument that the project needed support to tell a necessary story clashes with reality: neither audiences nor critics have backed the product. "You can't live off subsidies forever," analysts quip.
Reactions and silences
While Casanova defends the work as necessary, most comments highlight its commercial failure. Some note that the documentary arrived on streaming platforms — A3 Player — on Sunday, but streaming viewership hasn't been made public yet. The question remains: is this a work that makes people uncomfortable, or an overhyped product that only interests those close to it?
The numbers don't lie: 50 people at the box office, half of them critics. The rest of the story — official aid and victimhood narratives — doesn't quite add up. As the industry saying goes, "the audience is sovereign." And the sovereign, in this case, voted with its feet.
Related discussions in the forum
Fifty viewers. Half of them journalists. The figure that should embarrass any producer is the box office tally for 'Enferma', Eduardo Casanova's documentary about his experience with HIV while filming the series 'Aída'. Produced by Atresmedia and Jordi Évole, the film didn't even last two weeks in theaters. But the most striking thing isn't the number: it's that, according to published reports, it reached cinemas propped up with public money.
A multimillion-euro production nobody cares about
'Enferma' was presented at the Málaga Festival as an intimate account of hiding HIV during Casanova's time on the popular Antena 3 series. The director's story sought to raise awareness of the stigma, but audiences — at least those who pay for tickets — didn't respond. "It hasn't made enough to pay for the crew's pizzas," sums up an industry source. The question hanging in the air: how much did the production really cost taxpayers?
The public funding controversy
At the center of the debate is the origin of the funds. Atresmedia, the group that airs the series that made the director famous, co-financed the documentary alongside Évole's production company. But, as El Debate's article points out, the film also applied for official subsidies. The argument that the project needed support to tell a necessary story clashes with reality: neither audiences nor critics have backed the product. "You can't live off subsidies forever," analysts quip.
Reactions and silences
While Casanova defends the work as necessary, most comments highlight its commercial failure. Some note that the documentary arrived on streaming platforms — A3 Player — on Sunday, but streaming viewership hasn't been made public yet. The question remains: is this a work that makes people uncomfortable, or an overhyped product that only interests those close to it?
The numbers don't lie: 50 people at the box office, half of them critics. The rest of the story — official aid and victimhood narratives — doesn't quite add up. As the industry saying goes, "the audience is sovereign." And the sovereign, in this case, voted with its feet.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (20 replies).
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