Box Office: Angelina Jolie’s Maria surpasses Jackie and Spencer to become Pablo Larraín’s top global earner

Angelina Jolie’s Maria surpasses Jackie and Spencer to become Pablo Larraín’s highest-grossing international film, earning USD 23.3 million across 54 overseas markets.

Written by Seema Sinha , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Mar 27, 2025 | 01:01 PM IST | 12.9K

Picture Courtesy: Netflix

Pablo Larraín’s Maria, starring Angelina Jolie as opera icon Maria Callas, has officially become his highest-grossing movie at the international box office. The biopic earned USD 23.3 million across 54 overseas territories, surpassing the Chilean filmmaker’s Spencer and Jackie, which grossed USD 17.8 million and USD 23 million, respectively, in non-American markets.

Despite already achieving this milestone, Maria is still playing in theaters and has upcoming releases scheduled in countries like South Korea, Lithuania, and Norway. With Fremantle fully financing the film and FilmNation handling worldwide sales, the movie’s continued international performance could push its earnings even higher.

The third entry in Larraín’s English-language trilogy about legendary women—following the two aforementioned titles—reimagines the final days of the titular character, the American-Greek soprano, as she comes to terms with her identity and legacy.

The Steven Knight-penned drama premiered to rousing reviews at the Venice Film Festival last September, with Italy emerging as the film’s top-performing overseas market. Distributed by RAI, Maria has earned USD 3.32 million in Italy, followed by Germany (USD 3.1 million via Studiocanal) and France (USD 2.45 million via A.R.P.). Other notable markets include the UK and Ireland (USD 2.2M), Spain (USD 1.45M), the Netherlands (USD 1.33M), Greece (USD 1.03M), Poland (USD 946K), Australia (USD 844K), and Turkey (USD 827K).

Besides the Venice Film Festival, the film also played at other prestigious festivals, including BFI London Film Festival, Camerimage, São Paulo, Stockholm, Thessaloniki, Red Sea, and Rotterdam. It received critical acclaim, securing an Academy Award nomination for Ed Lachman’s cinematography and a Golden Globe nod for Jolie’s lead performance.

FilmNation Entertainment CEO Glen Basner praised Larraín’s work, stating that his mastery as a filmmaker has helped redefine the biopic genre. He added that seeing the final chapter of Larraín’s iconic trilogy become his highest-grossing film internationally is a testament to his vision and the powerful connection he has built with audiences worldwide.

Larraín is also a revered producer, with titles like A Fantastic Woman, which won Chile its first Academy Award in the Best Foreign Language Film (now Best International Feature) category, under his belt.

While Maria was handled by myriad distributors internationally, Netflix released the film in the U.S., while Mubi managed distribution in Canada.