Amazon MGM Studios is betting that Spain’s zombie apocalypse movies can compete with Hollywood blockbusters, and the company’s top international executives made that case at a conference in Madrid. Javiera Balmaceda, head of international originals for Latin America, Canada and Australia, and Nicole Morganti, head of international originals for Southern Europe, drew a big crowd with their session on developing local-language stories for global audiences.
The executives showed trailers for action films like Zeta and Vengeance, but they spent extra time talking about the success of bestselling author Mercedes Ron’s film adaptations on Prime Video. From the popular Fault (Culpables) series to the recently launched romantic thriller Drawn Together (Marfil), the company sees Ron as a major draw.
Balmaceda on the Queen of Young Adult
Balmaceda highlighted that Drawn Together, starring Ester Expósito (Elite, The Wailing) and Hugo Diego García (Death and Other Details, The Substance), has proven to be a hit after Culpables. She described the latter as “a massive success” and said Ron “is the queen of young adult because Marfil is working extremely well as well.”
Why Make Spanish Action?
The executives have heard the question before: why make Spanish or Spanish-language action and dystopian fare when Hollywood dominates those genres? Balmaceda answered directly.
“The United States produces a lot of action, such as Jack Ryan and other titles that work very well worldwide, so that’s why they ask us why we want to produce an action movie in Mexico or Spain,” she said. “I say more is more. We can do it as well. We can produce a successful movie, a successful story and make the audience grow, and it’s easy to see all the new audiences we have attracted.”
Zombies Don’t Speak English
Morganti pointed to the upcoming Apocalypse Z: New World sequel. The original Apocalypse Z became one of the top non-English content offerings on the streaming platform, and she explained the film’s origin.
“There was a fantastic idea for an apocalyptic story in Spain, a very Spanish story with zombies,” she said. “And they asked, ‘Why are you doing zombies in Spain?’ Well, first of all, because horror is a Spanish genre, and you need to democratize that as well, and you need to tell the bosses that it can be done. Also, zombies don’t have a nationality. They don’t speak English either. So now we are going to launch Apocalypse Z part 2 on Halloween.”
What the Pair Showed
| Film | Plot Focus |
|---|---|
| Zeta | A national intelligence service team led by top agent Zeta investigates the simultaneous killing of five former Spanish spies in different embassies around the world. |
| Vengeance | Carlos Estrada seeks vengeance after his wife is brutally murdered. |
| Drawn Together (Marfil) | Romantic thriller starring Ester Expósito and Hugo Diego García. |
| Culpables | Popular series adapted from Ron’s books. |
A Hit That’s Getting a Sequel
Apocalypse Z worked. The sequel is on the way.
The Crowd in Madrid
Their session drew a big crowd, and the trailers for Zeta and Vengeance were part of the presentation. The executives also spoke about the importance of local storytelling and the success of Ron’s adaptations.
The Conference Runs Through Friday
The conference runs through Friday. The Apocalypse Z: New World sequel launches on Halloween.
The Numbers Behind the Pitch
The executives framed their answer to the “why Spain?” question around three points:
- Horror is a Spanish genre, and the industry needs to prove that to decision-makers.
- Zombies don’t have a nationality or speak English, so the argument against making them in Spain doesn’t hold.
- The original Apocalypse Z became one of the top non-English offerings on the platform, proving the appetite exists.
The session’s focus on local storytelling suggests Amazon MGM sees Spain’s creative output as a distinct advantage over Hollywood’s dominance of the action and dystopian genres. The crowd in Madrid heard the reasoning behind the trailers they watched.
Source material: “Amazon MGM Execs Tout New Mercedes Ron Hit, How Spain’s ‘Apocalypse Z’ Became a Hit That’s Getting a Sequel: “Zombies Have No Nationality”,” The Hollywood Reporter.
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