Chavín De Huántar: The Rescue of the Century

Chavín De Huántar: The Rescue of the Century
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDiego de León
Written byDiego de León
Produced byCarlos Linares
Jorge Olivas
StarringRodrigo Sánchez Patiño
CinematographyMiguel Valencia
Edited byRoberto Benavides
Diego de León
Music byElton Pacho
Production
companies
Colibri Producciones
Ningún Creativo
Distributed byBF Distribución
Release date
  • October 30, 2025 (2025-10-30)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryPeru
LanguagesSpanish
Quechua

Chavín De Huántar: The Rescue of the Century (Spanish: Chavín de Huántar: el rescate del siglo) is a 2025 Peruvian historical action thriller film written, co-edited and directed by Diego de León in his directorial debut.[1] It is inspired by Operation Chavín de Huántar, considered the most successful hostage rescue operation in history,[2] starring Rodrigo Sánchez Patiño as Colonel Juan Valer Sandoval, leader of the operation.[3]

Synopsis

In 1996–1997, the takeover of the Japanese embassy in Lima by the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement triggered a 126-day crisis. During this siege, dozens of soldiers faced a challenge that tested their courage and humanity.[4]

Cast

  • Rodrigo Sánchez Patiño as Colonel Juan Valer «Chizito» Sandoval
  • André Silva as Mayor Rivera
  • Miguel Iza as Néstor Cerpa Cartolini
  • Connie Chaparro as Marina
  • Sergio Galliani as Colonel José Williams
  • Alfonso Dibós as Chancellor Francisco Tudela
  • Martín Martínez as Ricardo Rivas
  • Cristhian Esquivel as Colonel Ortiz
  • Baldomero Cáceres as Giusti
  • Carlos Thornton as Admiral Rinaldi
  • Nicolás Fantinato as Ambassador of Bolivia
  • Aníbal Lozano Herrera as Tito
  • Víctor Acurio
  • Sandro Calderón
  • Zoe Fernández

Production

The film's production lasted seven years; and its filming, carried out in the replica built as a training center for the original commandos and at the Chorrillos Military School, concluded after several weeks in November 2024.[5][6]

Marketing

The first teaser trailer for the film was released on April 21, 2025.[7] The trailer, released on YouTube on July 28 of that same year, accumulated more than 1.8 million views in less than 1 week and surpassed 3.7 million views by the end of August,[8] becoming the most viewed trailer of a Peruvian feature film.[9]

Release

The film premiered on October 30, 2025, in Peruvian theaters.[7]

Box office

On its opening day, the film attracted 37,000 viewers.[10] Over its opening weekend, the film was seen by more than 200,000 viewers.[11] On its tenth day in theaters, the film reached half a million viewers.[12] A week later, the film surpassed 1 million viewers.[13] By December 2025, it had attracted a total of 1.5 million viewers,[14] becoming the highest-grossing Peruvian film of the year, surpassing Single, Married, Widowed, Divorced 2,[15] as well as the fifth highest-grossing Peruvian film of all time, surpassing Locos de amor (2016).[16]

References

  1. ^ "Diego de León, director de cine: "Nosotros siempre quisimos contar la hazaña militar" (Entrevista)". Correo (in Spanish). 2025-11-06. Retrieved 2025-12-22.
  2. ^ "Operación Militar "Chavín de Huántar" El rescate que marcó un hito en la defensa de la Democracia". Escuela Superior Conjunta de las Fuerzas Armadas.
  3. ^ Obando, Manoel (2025-10-28). "Rodrigo Sánchez Patiño sobre su papel en 'Chavín de Huántar': "Quise mostrar al héroe y al hombre que había detrás del comando"". Infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2025-12-22.
  4. ^ Calderón, Gustavo (2025-07-31). "'Chavín de Huántar, el rescate del siglo': fecha de estreno, elenco y más detalles de la película". Diario Expreso (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-12-22.
  5. ^ García, Oscar (2025-10-08). "Explosiones reales, túneles claustrofóbicos y actores junto a comandos: así se filmó "Chavín de Huántar, el rescate del siglo"". El Comercio (in Spanish). ISSN 1605-3052. Retrieved 2025-12-22.
  6. ^ "Finaliza rodaje de "Chavín de Huántar: El Rescate del Siglo" y promete ser un éxito de taquilla". El Peruano (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-12-22.
  7. ^ a b Napa, Renzo (2025-11-26). "'Chavín de Huántar, el rescate del siglo': a 28 años de la operación que paralizó al mundo, así es su explosivo tráiler". RPP Noticias (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-12-22.
  8. ^ Carrasco, Marlon (2025-08-05). "¿Éxito en taquilla? Traíler de "Chavín de Huántar, el rescate del siglo" suma casi dos millones de vistas a poco de su estreno". Infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2025-12-22.
  9. ^ "El tráiler de "Chavín de Huántar, el rescate del siglo" se convierte en el más visto en la historia del cine peruano - Caretas Nacional". Caretas (in Spanish). 2025-08-31. Retrieved 2025-12-22.
  10. ^ Obando, Manoel (2025-12-18). "Chavín de Huántar supera el millón y medio de espectadores". Perú 21 (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-12-22.
  11. ^ Obando, Manoel (2025-11-04). ""Chavín de Huántar, el rescate del siglo" rompe récords con más de 200 mil asistentes en su primer fin de semana". Infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2025-12-22.
  12. ^ Napa, Renzo (2025-11-11). "'Chavín de Huántar' superó el medio millón de espectadores y apunta a convertirse en la película peruana más taquillera de 2025". RPP Noticias (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-12-22.
  13. ^ Marcos, Jazmín (2025-11-16). ""Chavín de Huántar, el rescate del siglo" supera el millón de espectadores en el cine nacional". Infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2025-12-22.
  14. ^ Luna, Jhon (2025-12-19). "Película 'Chavín de Huántar' supera el millón y medio de espectadores y es una de las más vistas en la historia del Perú". La República (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-12-22.
  15. ^ Napa, Renzo (2025-12-18). "'Chavín de Huántar' supera el millón y medio de espectadores y va por otro récord en la taquilla histórica peruana". RPP Noticias (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-12-22.
  16. ^ ""Chavín de Huántar" ya es la quinta película peruana más vista de la historia: así va el ranking". Gestión (in Spanish). 2025-12-06. Retrieved 2025-12-22.