Synopsis
In the beautiful hills of Cooper Canyon in Chihuahua, Mexico, a young boy (Emilio) is adopted by the mailman (Teo). As part of their daily tasks, they not only deliver the mail but read letters to the villagers, as well as take dictation, since most are illiterate. Young Emilio quickly learns to read and write but feels saddened by the mostly difficult stories sent by relatives that moved north to Denver, Colorado in pursuit of a better future. One day Teo becomes disabled and Emilio takes over the mail route and with great imagination he changes the letters to happy and optimistic stories. Within days, the village is transformed. The elders, once hopeless, lonely and sad, are now happy and enthusiastic, enjoying the "supposed" success their loved ones write of in the United States. But the enjoyment is short lived, as they realize that all the wonderful stories are the same, a product of Emilio’s imagination. During this same period, Emilio meets a young girl named Elena and they have an innocent friendship that becomes their first love.
Metrics
| Opening Weekend: | $7,711 (90.6% of total gross) |
| Legs: | 1.10 (domestic box office/biggest weekend) |
| Domestic Share: | 7.0% (domestic box office/worldwide) |
| Theater counts: | 12 opening theaters/12 max. theaters, 1.0 weeks average run per theater |
| Infl. Adj. Dom. BO | $11,524 |
Latest Ranking on Cumulative Box Office Lists
| Record | Rank | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| All Time Domestic Box Office (Rank 17,001-17,100) | 17,012 | $8,511 |
| All Time International Box Office (Rank 17,801-17,900) | 17,873 | $112,743 |
| All Time Worldwide Box Office (Rank 23,901-24,000) | 23,964 | $121,254 |
| All Time Domestic Highest Grossing Limited Release Movies (Rank 8,101-8,200) | 8,133 | $8,511 |
See the Box Office tab (Domestic) and International tab (International and Worldwide) for more Cumulative Box Office Records.
Movie Details
| Domestic Releases: | June 8th, 2012 (Limited) by Freestyle Releasing, released as Letters to Elena |
| International Releases: | March 9th, 2012 (Wide) (Mexico)
October 26th, 2012 (Wide) (Spain) |
| MPAA Rating: | PG for thematic elements, violence, language and smoking. (Rating bulletin 2224, 5/23/2012) |
| Running Time: | 104 minutes |
| Comparisons: | Create your own comparison chart… |
| Keywords: | Immigration, Coming of Age, Adopted Family, Life in a Small Town, Orphan, Hispanic |
| Source: | Original Screenplay |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Production Method: | Live Action |
| Creative Type: | Contemporary Fiction |
| Production/Financing Companies: | Cartas a Elena, LLC |
| Production Countries: | Mexico |
| Languages: | Spanish |