“Instructions not included,” the movie directed by and featuring Mexican actor Eugenio Derbez, was a surprise hit. It made $10.4 million and ranked #5 at the box office, making it the biggest Spanish-language opening ever over the Labor Day holiday weekend in the U.S.
The 2 hour dramedy was the highest grossing film per theater over the holiday weekend, averaging $22,594 per screen, despite having little publicity.
“Instructions” showed on 348 theaters across the country, compared to the top 4 films, which had over 3,000 screens.
Pantelion Films, a joint venture of Lions Gate and Televisa, distributed the film, which cost just over $5 million to produce.
