More recently, the most popular leader in the country was arguably Moses, the star of a telenovela version of “The Ten Commandments.” It aired on Record, one of Globo’s rivals, and the show actually won its time slot on a few occasions — an achievement so rare that it made news. Part of the appeal was the special effects required to present the story’s combination of miracles and calamities. But beyond the spectacle, the director, Alexandre Avancini, thinks that the production caught on because it was perfectly timed. “Unfortunately, we live in an era in Brazil with a lot of corruption,” he said. “Moses is not corruptible. He struggles against great power to change the situation. Brazilians can see a little hope in this story.”

Slipping into the international Top 10 this week, Brazil‘s The Ten Commandments: The Movie (Os Dez Mandamentos) directed by Alexandre Avancini, rode an evangelical swell to gross $6.25M. It’s based on a local soap opera and hit presales of about 3M tickets ahead of the Thursday bow, according to reports, then 2M in its first two days, besting the record for a local pic which was set by Elite Squad 2 in 2010. That film went on to become the biggest ever in Brazilian history with over $62M. The opening is the 4th best ever, behind three Hollywood blockbusters: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Down Part 2, Avengers: Age Of Ultron and Furious 7.

TV Record’s ‘Moses and the 10 Commandments’ Hits Brazilian Theaters.  Feature adaptation of Brazil's biblical telenovela scores $6.1 million, the biggest local bow in two years.  Directed by Alexandre Avancini, the film accounted for 53% of total B.O., dislodging from no. 1 Sony’s “The 5th Wave,” who made $1.08 million in its second weekend and has cumed $3.6 million to date. In absolute terms, “Moses” represents the fifth best opening since March 2014 – when Brazil moved films’ release day to Thursdays – in a ranking led by Disney’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” ($12.6 million) and UPI’s “Furious 7” ($11.9 million).

Brazilian bio-drama Nothing To Lose bowed in 69 locations, the widest of the packed weekend’s slate of specialty debuts. Directed by Alexandre Avancini, the title took in $646,421, averaging $9,368. Nothing To Lose is the true story of Universal Church of the Kingdom of God founder Edir Macedo. Distributor Swen Releasing noted the religious community came out to see the film. “Church group members came out in full force to see the film, with sold out shows across the country and we couldn’t be happier with the results,” commented Swen Releasing’s Murray Lipnik Sunday.

The Ten Commandments: film set to be biggest box office hit in Brazil history. Film adaptation of TV success comes amid Brazil’s fast-growing evangelical movement – and it’s already sold five times as many pre-sale tickets as Star Wars. At the film’s premiere in Rio de Janeiro, director Alexandre Avancini attributed its phenomenal success to its blend of drama, comedy and romance. “We managed to create something that brings the whole Brazilian family together,” he said. “It’s something my mother watches with my daughter.” But the key to the audience figures was the high number of viewers from Brazil’s growing evangelical movement.

Finally, the nominees for the Fénix Award for best Exhibitor were announced. Finalists for the award are “Moses and the Ten Commandments,” Alexandre Avancini, Brazil;  “Julieta,” Pedro Almodóvar, Spain; “I Married a Dumbass,” Juan Taratuto, Argentina; “A Monster Calls,” J.A. Bayona, U.S-Spain; “Don’t Blame the Kid,” Gustavo Loza, Mexico. This year will be the first in which audiences will vote for the eventual winner. Voting for the Exhibitors Award will take place from Oct. 22 through Nov. 30.