Yahoo Lifestyle Oscar Nominee ‘Flow’ Passes $20 Million at Global Box Office in Indie Animation Milestone (EXCLUSIVE)
International animated features have enjoyed success stories in the past, but they’ve typically come in the form of awards rather than box office numbers. This year’s Golden Globe-winning and two-time Oscar-nominated animated feature “Flow” has bucked that trend and recently passed the $20 million mark at the global box office, its sales company Charades tells Variety.
In the dialogue-free film, a catastrophic flood submerges everything in its path, including Cat’s home. There are no humans to be found anywhere, although their material legacy remains. Luckily for “Flow’s” feline protagonist, it finds refuge on a boat full of other displaced animals. Together, the group sets sail on the flood waters for a journey into the unknown.
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Director Gints Zilbalodis and the film’s producers at Sacrebleu Productions, Dream Well and Take Five, needed a budget of just €3.5 million ($3.7 million) to create the pic.
Excluding Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron” as an extreme outlier, “Flow” stands out as the most commercially successful independent animated feature Oscar nominee in recent years. 2024 nominee “Robot Dreams” grossed $4.7 million globally and just $875,215 in the U.S. The year before that, “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On” made $6.9 million worldwide, almost all coming domestically, where it made $6.3 million.
“What is happening around ‘Flow’ is fantastic,” says Sacrebleu producer, Ron Dyens. “In almost all territories, we are witnessing great success, and sometimes we are even facing a real tidal wave, like in Mexico. This could be seen as surprising, but at the same time, this film, without any human dialogue and featuring deeply kind and generous animals, must certainly awaken a need for love in so many. This success is, therefore, in my eyes, both surprising and, at the same time, completely normal.”
Below, we break down “Flow’s” box office achievements in several key territories.
Latvia
Compared to far larger markets, the film’s Latvian haul may not seem like much, but at €1.7 million ($1.8 million) and more than 306,000 admissions, “Flow” has sold more tickets than any other local film in Latvian box office history. The film has had a tremendous cultural impact in Latvia as well, and its Golden Globe statue was even displayed at the Latvian National Museum of Art, attracting thousands.
North America
“Flow” grossed $4 million over 12 weeks in the U.S. and Canada, distributed by Janus Films and Sideshow. This was their highest-grossing title ever (ahead of 2021’s “Drive My Car”). Following the film’s impressive awards season run, its NA distributors plan to re-release the film on Feb. 21. It’s currently available on TVOD and will launch on Max on Feb. 14.
Mexico and Central America
In Mexico, “Flow” grossed $6 million in just six weeks, distributed by Cine Canibal. In the country, it grossed more than 2024 animated feature Oscar-winner “The Boy and the Heron” ($4 million) or fellow nominee “Robot Dreams” ($3.1 million), both also distributed by Cine Canibal.
“Flow” also performed well in other Central American countries, including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras and Panama, accumulating almost 50,000 admissions in just two weeks.
France
According to Charades CEO Yohann Comte, “Flow’s” performance in France was the launchpad for the film’s success with other international distributors. “It helped that ‘Flow’ was released in France in October and did well,” he told Variety last month. “I think when distributors saw the film approaching 500,000 admissions in France, it made them take notice.” In France, “Flow” has sold more than 600,000 admissions and brought in €4.4 million ($4.6 million).
Other Notable European Territories
Poland: €393,000 ($410,000) on 74,864 admissions in fewer than three weeks.
Netherlands: €903,000 ($942,000) on 90,924 admissions in fewer than seven weeks.
Spain: €703,000 ($724,000) on 108,084 admissions in fewer than 3 weeks.
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