ELITE SQUAD 2 Beats AVATAR: Officially Biggest Box-Office Hit Ever in Brazil

Wagner Moura, Elite Squad 2

José Padilha’s Elite Squad 2, a sequel to the controversial 2007 Berlin Film Festival winner Elite Squad, is now officially the biggest blockbuster ever at the Brazilian box office. At least in dollar figures.

Elite Squad 2, which mixes crooked politics with straightforward gunfire, has taken in $60.5m at the Brazilian box office since it opened about two and a half months ago, according to the film industry site Filme B. James Cameron’s Avatar had been the previous leader, with grosses of $60.4m.

Perhaps assisted by some real-life operations as Brazil tries to clean up its image prior to both the World Cup and the Olympics, Elite Squad 2 "has grabbed the title of the biggest box office hit in Brazilian cinema history, topping the blockbuster Avatar by James Cameron," the producers of the movie affirmed on their website.

Well, not so fast. Avatar came out at a time when the Brazilian currency was weaker than it is now. A stronger real equals more U.S. dollars when Brazilian box-office figures are converted into the American currency. Ticket sales would be a more accurate measure for Elite Squad 2’s purported record-breaking success.

So, here’s the dish: Elite Squad 2 sold more than 11m tickets versus Avatar’s 9m. However, Cameron’s Titanic, the biggest modern blockbuster in Brazil, sold 16m tickets. Also, has Elite Squad 2 really sold more tickets than, say, Gone with the Wind or The Sound of Music? Or The Robe? The Ten Commandments?

When it comes to Brazilian productions, Elite Squad 2 seems to be the unquestionable winner, followed by the 1976 comedy Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands, which sold 10.735m tickets.

Elite Squad 2 will have its international premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.

Quote via Agence France-Presse.