Comedy On Mexico Income Gap A Big Screen Hit

MEXICO CITY (AP) – A construction magnate’s preppy son is forced to drive one of Mexico City’s battered green buses. His spoiled sister waits tables at a cantina. Their credit cards have been canceled, their BMWs and mansion seized.

A Mexican riches-to-rags movie titled “We are the Nobles” has packed theaters in a country with one of the world’s widest income gaps, and a love for laughing at misfortune. More than 1 million people showed up in the first week to see the story of an impresario who fakes a government raid on his riches to teach his children the value of work. Only two Hollywood films beat it at the box office last weekend. It’s the second-biggest opening for a domestic film here in more than 10 years.