BRICS as a Cinema Journey: Brazil
In 2019, 169 locally produced films were released in Brazilian theaters. The most successful of them was the comedy "My Life on Mars," whose box office returns were comparable to Disney's "Aladdin." In general, Brazilian cinema distribution is almost entirely dominated by Hollywood. Over the past 10 years, local producers have only once managed to top the annual box office — that was at the end of 2019, when the comedy "My Mom Is a Character 3" was released. With a budget of $2 million, the film grossed $39 million and remains the highest-grossing domestic release in the history of Brazilian cinema.
But this is more the exception: Brazilian audiences most often still choose proven Hollywood hits. Last year, for example, "Barbie" topped the box office by a wide margin, grossing $43.8 million. It was followed by "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," "Fast X," and "Avatar: The Way of Water" — mostly spectacular commercial films, while "Oppenheimer" had to settle for a modest ninth place.
The Fall and the Rise
In 2023, the total box office in Brazil amounted to $2.3 billion. This is a very strong result, 25% higher than in 2022. Yet domestic cinema's total gross accounted for only 3% of that figure. The industry has long been sounding the alarm: over the past four years it has experienced the worst crisis in 30 years, and that figure of 169 films will be seen as an unattainable benchmark for a long time to come. Among the causes are political upheaval and the pandemic, which devastated the industry and left theaters almost entirely without quality local content. In terms of 2023 results, the country's total box office was three times smaller than Mexico's.
On the other hand, it is precisely now that one can observe the Brazilian film industry slowly getting back on its feet and returning to life. At the February Berlin International Film Festival, 46 Brazilian producers presented more than 80 projects at various stages of development. Several films were already featured in the program, including in the Panorama section.
Investment is flowing back into cinema, and production is taking place not only in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo but also in the regions. It is reported that more than 40% of directors on new projects are women, and the dominant genres include horrors, thrillers, and fantasy as well as socially driven stories, including those dealing with immigration. The market has already responded. In January alone, the films "My Sister and I," "Our House 2," and "Mamonas Assassinas: The Movie" attracted more than 3 million viewers.
Brazilian industry professionals are aiming to reach a 25% share of total annual box office by the end of 2024 — an ambition that seems very bold and optimistic, yet genuinely motivating.
Towering Figures
Among the most anticipated upcoming releases are the following. "Beachgoers 2" by Roberto Santucci — a sequel to his own comedy hit, which was seen by 2.5 million moviegoers in 2018. "Auto da Compadecida 2" is also a sequel, though the first installment came out more than 20 years ago. Its director, Guel Arraes, returns to feature filmmaking after a run of television series, bringing audiences a new satirical comedy with beloved characters. He is also set to release the more intimate film "Grande Sertão" this year.
But of course the greatest hope rests with auteur filmmakers, thanks to whom Brazil has long existed for millions of cinephiles around the world as a vitally important territory. This year, for instance, the classic Walter Salles will release his new film "I'm Still Here," based on the bestselling book of the same name by Marcelo Rubens Paiva. He is well known worldwide — his "The Motorcycle Diaries" gave Gael García Bernal one of his finest roles, and his loose adaptation of Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" assembled a whole constellation of Hollywood superstars in its cast. And before that came "Central Station" and "Behind the Sun," with "Central Station" winning the Berlin International Film Festival in 1998.
Andrucha Waddington is another prominent figure, not least because of the roots to which he owes his Russian-sounding first name. He won the Cannes Un Certain Regard prize with "Me You Them," made a splash at Sundance with "House of Sand," and is now preparing his new film "Vitória" for release.
Market Players
The challenge facing the Brazilian industry right now is a formidable one. Streaming giants have stormed the market, offering Portuguese-language content producers highly attractive terms and effectively worldwide distribution. Suffice it to say that Netflix alone launched 18 Brazilian originals in 2021, including nine feature films, three series, three documentaries, and three reality shows. Currently, 26 titles are in production simultaneously. Against the backdrop of modest theatrical results, a Netflix commission looks considerably more appealing — the only downside being that the rights remain with the streamer. And since streaming platforms are more interested in audience-facing projects, it is the studios producing mainstream content that have survived on the strength of these commissions.
Art-house cinema, however, has had a rough time. Fernando Meirelles, Brazil's best-known director worldwide, has not released a single feature since "The Two Popes" — he is working on series for streaming platforms. One of them, "Sugar" starring Colin Farrell in the lead role, will premiere in April on Apple TV+, and it is one of the platform's most intriguing projects of the season. On April 14, HBO will premiere another of his projects, "The Sympathizer" — a miniseries that Meirelles co-directed with Park Chan-wook and Marc Munden. Of course, cinephiles expect more from the creator of "City of God," one of the most remarkable films of the 21st century, but Meirelles has long outgrown the confines of the national industry and now operates on a global scale.
Old New Names
Which contemporary Brazilian filmmakers deserve attention? Ilda Santiago, director of the Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival, singles out several names and titles that merit immediate attention. One is Flavia Neves, a seasoned documentarian making her narrative feature debut. Her feature film "Fogaréu" was presented at the Berlinale two years ago — a surrealist drama about a woman who returns to her hometown and confronts its mayor, who also happens to be her uncle, laying bare deep-seated conflicts within Brazilian society.
Director Julia Murat, also in 2022, won the prestigious Locarno Film Festival with the feminist drama "Rule 34." The film's subject is resistance to sexual violence. The synopsis stated that the film "returns Brazilian cinema to the anarchic achievements of marginal filmmaking — it is a powerful and politically charged work that will undoubtedly leave a significant mark." What Julia Murat is working on now remains unknown.
Gabriel Martins has long been known to festival audiences. The horror "Binding Ties" (on which Martins collaborated as co-director) made the rounds of genre festivals, and "In the Heart of the World" screened in Rotterdam. His drama "Mars One," about a boy who dreams of space in a family where there is no room for dreams at all, was submitted by Brazil as its entry for the 2023 Academy Awards. In Brazil, Martins received awards for best director, screenplay, and editing for that film.
It is worth concluding by noting that Brazil has a very favorable attitude toward Russian cinema. According to Comscore data provided by Roskino, our films grossed more than $700,000 there over the past year (as of early December), with the animated film "Hermitage Cats" earning the most. Also released there were "Finnik," "Star Mind," and "The Wife of Tchaikovsky."