Santiago Segura and Sony, Plus a Little Help From Alec Baldwin and Kevin Spacey, Smash Spanish Cinema Records With ‘Torrente for President’ 

SPOILER ALERT: Who would have thought that Kevin Spacey, after his Hollywood career ended amid various sexual assault allegations, would feature in a blockbuster? 

Well, it’s happened, at least in Spain. “Torrente for President,” featuring Spacey in a cameo role and released by Sony Pictures Spain, has smashed all recent movie box office records in Spain, punching €7.25 ($8.3 million) over its first weekend from a March 13 bow. 

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That’s the biggest bow for any film of any nationality since 2019,  Sony Pictures Spain announced Tuesday. It’s also the best opening gross for a Spanish film since “Spanish Affair 2” (€8.8 million: $10.1 million) way back in 2015, and the fourth best in history for a local title, only beaten by “The Impossible” (€8.9  million: $10.2 million) in 2012 and “Torrente 4: Lethal Crisis” (€8.4 million: $9.7 million ) a year earlier. 

“Torrente for Presidente” passed 1 million spectators after four days, accounting for almost 70% of Spain’s total box office, Sony Pictures Spain also confirmed Tuesday.  

No 16+ comedy from Hollywood, Spain or anywhere had ever opened so well. It added.   

The 11-year record gross caps a franchise whose first five installments already notched up 15 million admissions – €82 million, or $94.3 million, according to Comscore Movies – since it burst onto the scene in 1998 with a first outing, “Torrente, the Dumb Arm of the Law,” which introduced the perpetually drunk, self-centered sexist, and racist scumbag ex-cop Torrente.

In “Torrente for President,” channeling some of his figure in “House of Cards,” Spacey plays the most powerful man in the world, explaining in a sardonic turn to Torrente who really rules the globe. Baldwin repeats his heavily made-up caricature of Donald Trump of “Saturday Night Live.”   

When he first appeared, Torrente was greeted as a hilarious throw-back to the blow-hard historical holdouts who still claimed in democracy that Spain was better under Franco. Now, his figure has a highly contemporary relevance as extreme right party Vox has consolidated as Spain’s third most voted political force. 

In “Torrente for President,” sold in international by Film Factory Entertainment, Torrente is headhunted by Nox to appear on stage on the campaign trail of the party’s president, giving it a populist edge. When the imperious party president falls ill, Torrente steps forward as his substitute. 

Several factors at least explain the film’s phenomenal success: in a novel marketing strategy no still from the film nor details of cast were released until the movie hit cinemas on Friday. Sony Pictures Spain made public a trailer for the film four days after its release. 

Since Torrente first appeared the world has changed. One of the most hilarious scenes in “Torrente for President” has Torrente in a presidential debate, displaying his hallmark political correctness. That, however, is nothing now compared to the far larger incorrectness of the rulers of a significant number of the most powerful nations on earth.   

Also, initial reactions have been highly positive. “It’s the best ‘Torrente’ since the first and second,” said a taxi driver who drove Variety to catch the film at the MK2 Palacio de Hierro multiplex in Northern Madrid. After the screening, the audience burst out in applause, which is rare in Spain. 

Reviews have very largely been good to great. “It’s the best political film in Spanish cinema in a decade, visceral humor, discomfiting and revolutionary,” wrote Fausto Fernández in film-TV magazine “Fotogramas.”

“Torrente for Presidente” is tracking to “almost certainly get near to €25 million [$28.75] in final gross. The film’s playing well and word-of-mouth is good. Also, the real promotion campaign kicks in this week,” said David Rodríguez, Comscore Movies general manager for Spain and Portugal. “If the film hits Easter Week with still legs, it will see an uptick, which happened with ‘FOMO,’” he added. 

“Creating a national phenomenon in the shape of a film and sparking a public debate around it – one in which everyone wants to actively participate – is a feat few can achieve. He has done just that. It is an honor for us to stand alongside Santiago Segura’s immense talent and unwavering courage,” said Ivan Losada Gamst, managing director Sony Pictures Spain.

An Amiguetes Entertainment presentation, “Torrente for President” is a production of Torrente Presidente AIE, Bowfinger International Pictures and Amiguetes Enterprises with the participation of Netflix and Atresmedia in association with Mogambo.

Segura said in December that he had his bags packed to leave Spain on March 13 if “Torrente for President” blew up in his face. Variety caught up with Segura at a junket four days after the film’s release. He certainly wasn’t hot-tailing for Madrid’s Barajas Airport. 

Watching “Torrente for President,” you realize Torrente himself hasn’t changed, but Torrente films do change one from another….

I love films. Taking advantage of “Torrente,” I’ve tried to pay tribute in each film to my favourite genres. So in the first film, I was obsessed with Italian Neorealism. The second is a kind of James Bond espionage blockbuster. The third was like a parody of Kevin Costner in “The Bodyguard.” “Torrente 4” was like “Escape from Alcatraz.” I love prison films. And “Torrente 5” a tribute to “Ocean’s Eleven,” the dream of a perfect heist, but just as every robber’s dream is to rob a casino in Las Vegas, here it was Spain’s Eurovegas. 

And “Torrente for President”?

It’s a kind of parody of political dramas, like “Lion in the Streets” with James Cagney where a character enters politics and falls foul little by little to corruption. The difference is that Torrente is already corrupt. He doesn’t need to become corrupt.

Do you think that with time Torrente’s status has evolved? When he first hits the screen, he’s a LOL Francoist throwback. Now he seems a natural part of a party that exists in real life….

What’s striking is that Torrente is an abhorrent, fascist, Francoist, machista alcoholic yet people see him right at home in politics. Phrases from Torrente’s speeches are taken from real-life politicians, on the right and on the left. Jordi Evolé, the Spanish journalist, made an experiment in 2008, of attending a left-wing meeting and reading out a speech and everybody applauded. Then he went to a right-wing meeting, read the same speech and everybody applauded the same. 

There’s a larger point here as indeed in “Torrente for President”….

Politics sometimes is a form of deception. Talking to the far right, you’ll say that immigration is the worst thing out and everybody’s happy. But if 500 immigrants from the Maghreb walk into the congress, you’ll say that of course we’ll make exceptions. Politics shouldn’t be like this but sometimes it’s a form of deception. If you’re talking to the far right, you’ll say that immigration is the worst thing out and everybody’s happy. But if 500 immigrants from the Maghreb walk in o the congress, you’ll say that of course we’ll make exceptions. Politicians over the whole world is becoming too populist as opposed to people who are really looking for solutions. We want to be well governed by the people whom we put in these posts. 

The Torrente of “Torrente for President” is still outrageously politically incorrect but perhaps more “simpatico” given his incorrectness now is nothing compared to the lack of correctness of some real-life governing figures….

Torrente is “simpatico” in that he’s a pariah. He hasn’t any money, nor contacts, nor connections nor power. His shit-hole ideas go nowhere. But we’re seeing hugely powerful people who have he same ideas as Torrente and that’s terrifying. Just thinking that Torrente’s becoming president isn’t fiction but could happen in reality is terrifying. But is liberating to be able to laugh about such terrible things on screen. That’s why I’ve talked about this in a comedy. Comedy’s an escape valve and what I like is people on the left and right laughing with this film which means the parody’s been really broad-based.   

Could there be a “Torrente 7”? 

I’d like to finish the saga here because it’s been really liked. But if in 10 years time I have another good idea I wouldn’t mind repeating. He’s a curious character and I think in 50 years time it would be possible to understand the history of Spain through the “Torrente” franchise. Films always have this social, socio-cultural edge, showing streets, people’s expressions. “Torrente’s” human landscape says a lot about want this country has been and how it’s evolved.