Overview

• A Spanish release on 12 September has climbed to nearly €3 million and more than 400,000 viewers, according to new tallies reported on 25 September.
• Amenábar used a primetime appearance on El Hormiguero to stress eight years of research and said the film aims to recreate the past within the bounds of plausibility.
• The narrative explores a possible bond between Cervantes and the Bajá of Algiers that the director bases on period testimonies and scholarly readings, presented expressly as fiction.
• Writer Arturo Pérez-Reverte publicly recommended the film, noting a brief sequence he expects to be contentious while praising the overall craftsmanship.
• The director will hold a public Q&A in Barcelona on 1 October after an evening screening at Mooby Bosque cinemas.