Latvian Oscar-winning animated feature Flow has officially surpassed the $50 million mark at the global box office, its sales company Charades said on Friday.

According to AP, this milestone cements Flow as one of the most commercially successful independent animated Oscar nominees in recent years.

Directed by Gints Zilbalodis and produced by Sacrebleu Productions, Dream Well, and Take Five, the film defied expectations for a dialogue-free story made on a modest €3.5 million ($3.7 million) budget.

Flow follows a cat who survives a massive flood and finds companionship on a boat with other displaced animals. With no humans in sight, the animals navigate a desolate world in search of hope and safety.

Unlike many international animated films that receive critical acclaim without strong box office results, Flow has broken the mold. Aside from Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron, it stands as the highest-grossing indie animated Oscar nominee in recent years.

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For comparison, 2024’s Robot Dreams made $4.7 million globally, while 2023’s Marcel the Shell with Shoes On earned $6.9 million.

Regionally, the film saw notable success, $5.9 million in France (UFO Distribution), $2.7 million in the UK (Curzon), $2.5 million in Germany, and $2.1 million in Latvia, where it became the most-viewed film ever with over 255,000 admissions.

In North America, Janus Films and Sideshow grossed $4.8 million. Latin America contributed $14.6 million, including over $7 million from Mexico alone. In Asia, China brought in $3.91 million, with South Korea, Hong Kong, and others boosting the total.

Zilbalodis said, “The global response to Flow has shattered even our most optimistic expectations… I hope that now many more people will have opportunities to make unique and boundary-pushing films.”