Invicta, Cinepolis Co-Produce Romantic Dramedy 'Serendipia' (EXCLUSIVE)

VARIETY

By Anna Marie De La Fuente Marking the gradual return of the Mexican exhibition and distribution giant Cinépolis to production since the pandemic, the company has once again partnered with producer Javier González-Rubio of Invicta Films, this time on film critic Hugo Lara’s second feature, “Serendipia” (“Serendipity”).

“We are thrilled to embark on this new journey with Invicta Films and to strengthen our partnership. ‘Serendipia’ is a captivating story that will touch the hearts of audiences around the world, and with it, Cinépolis once again demonstrates our commitment to Mexican cinema,” said executive producer Miguel Rivera, VP of global programming and content at Cinépolis.

“We look forward to working again with our friends at Cinépolis, as ‘Serendipia’ will reinforce our successful partnership with them,” agreed González-Rubio, who will attend the San Sebastián Film Festival. Cinépolis co-produced and distributed Invicta Films’ “El exorcismo de Carmen Farías,” by Rodrigo Fiallega, in 2021, González-Rubio said. The company also distributed last year Invicta Films’ “The Kids Are Back” (“Cuando los hijos regresan”), Lara’s first feature, starring Carmen Maura. In addition, Cinépolis produced the comedy “Peregrinación a San Antonio,” a Laredo17 production directed by Diego Graue, which they will release in 2023. In a pre-pandemic interview with Variety in 2019, Cinépolis CEO Alejandro Ramírez said they had some 10 projects in development or pre-production, with the goal of producing four to five films a year. Then the pandemic hit, and the exhibition giant suffered major losses when it was forced to close its thousands of screens worldwide. In 2019, Cinépolis consolidated its position as the second-largest circuit in the world in terms of admissions, with a total of 360 million moviegoers, not counting Indonesia. Founded in 1971, the family-owned exhibitor operates in some 18 territories with more than 6,000 screens. Set to be filmed in Mexico and Spain, “Serendipia” stars Marimar Vega (“El juego de las llaves,” “La boda de Valentina”), who plays Emma, a successful Mexico City attorney who has not had much luck in matters of the heart. While traveling to Spain to attend her sister’s wedding, Cupid catches her off guard when she meets a man who could be “the one” (played by Fernando Guallar, “Luis Miguel: La Serie”) after their luggage is mixed up at the airport. But he suffers from a terminal illness and appears to have little time left to live.

“We are delighted to bring this endearing love story to the screen and to bring together such incredible talent in the cast and crew on both sides of the Atlantic,” said González-Rubio, who noted that locations will include Mexico City and Jalisco in Mexico and, in Spain, Valencia and the Canary Islands. The screenplay was written by González-Rubio, Marika Cahn and Molo Alcocer.

Principal photography is scheduled for the spring of next year.