TEHRAN -- The Iranian box office saw a lively shake-up last week as theaters became the stage for a head-to-head showdown between a controversial comedy and a surprisingly strong animated feature. 
Meanwhile, veteran actor-director Mehran Ahmadi made a powerful return with his new comedy Mr. Leech, pulling in 5 billion tomans (approx. $90,000) in just three days.
Leading the charts, Hatef Alimardani’s Crooked Cocoon took the top spot with 1.6 billion tomans in weekly sales — despite limited screenings following reported bans in several cities. The film’s combination of social satire and controversy seems to have fueled audience curiosity rather than dampened it.
But the real surprise came from the animated feature “Yooz”, which clawed its way to 6.2 billion tomans during the same week, boosted by school group screenings and family attendance during the fall season. The Iranian animation market, typically overshadowed by live-action comedies, is showing signs of resilience thanks to the film’s wide appeal.
Coming in third, Ahmadi’s Mr. Leech marks his first directing effort since Sag Band (2022), one of Iran’s all-time top five grossers. Mr. Leech’s strong opening suggests that audience appetite for locally made comedies remains robust, even as ticket sales for more serious dramas cool off.
Falling behind after a strong start, Karim Amini’s Constantinople, starring Pezhman Jamshidi, continued its downward trend, dropping from 10 billion tomans in its opening week to just 4.5 billion in week five. Though the film’s decline can’t be fully attributed to the off-screen controversies surrounding its lead, industry insiders say the headlines haven’t helped.
At No. 5, Siavash Asadi’s social drama In the Form of Love added 2.7 billion tomans, a respectable figure for the genre, which has seen waning interest in recent months.
Meanwhile, the comedy The Man With Glasses, still holding strong months after release, grossed 2.5 billion tomans, landing in sixth place.
Further down the chart, social drama Bache Mardom and war-themed Majnoon both earned about 1.9 billion tomans, while art-house favorite Highway Deer, directed by Abolfazl Saffari, rounded out the top ten with 1.1 billion tomans.
The latest numbers highlight a clear trend: Iranian audiences continue to favor comedies and accessible family entertainment over heavier dramatic fare. With Mr. Leech off to a strong start and Yooz proving the commercial viability of animation, the coming weeks may see the local box office tilt further toward lighthearted escapism — laughter, it seems, remains Iran’s most bankable genre.