Critical response
The film received acclaim by critics for its acting, originality, mythology, religious references, and its balance of horror and drama. When the film got the attention of international film critics including those from United States, it has since been recognized as one of the greatest horror films and Spanish language films of all-time. Rotten Tomatoes reports an 89% approval rating based on 55 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The critical consensus reads: "Guillermo del Toro's unique feature debut is not only gory and stylish, but also charming and intelligent."[7] It was also entered into the 18th Moscow International Film Festival.[8]
In the early 2010s, Time Out conducted a poll with several authors, directors, actors and critics who have worked within the horror genre to vote for their top horror films.[9] Cronos was placed at number 96 on their top 100 list.[10]
The film has become part of The Criterion Collection. The film's Blu-ray disc includes the film with both the introduction in English, and a version in its original Spanish language. In the website's plot synopsis of the film, it's described as "A dark, visually rich, & emotionally captivating fantasy".[11] The film is sold both individually and as part of the box set Trilogía de Guillermo del Toro, which includes del Toro's other Spanish language horror films The Devil's Backbone & Pan's Labyrinth.[12]
Box office
In North America, the film was given limited release to only 2 theaters where it grossed $17,538 its opening weekend and grossed a total of $621,392 playing at a total of 28 screens. After many critics viewed the film, they felt it deserved a wider release.[4]
Year-end lists
- Honorable mention – David Elliott, The San Diego Union-Tribune[13]
