“Instructions Not Included” was smuggled into theaters (no previews), weakly reviewed when critics finally got around to it, and seemingly limited in appeal. It’s a foreign language subtitled comedy with no prestige picture label attached to it.

Even though reviews were far from “awful,” it’s still safe to bet that the audience for it is largely Latino.

But last weekend, “Instructions” cleared the “Pan’s Labyrinth” record and hit the $38 million mark at the box office in the U.S. It’ll have competition when “Pulling Strings” opens shortly, similar in theme, less broadly comical, less fantastical. “Instructions” is the biggest hit of Lionsgate’s Pantelion division, and could easily hit $45 million at the US box office, maybe $50 if it hangs onto its screens. It’s holding that much audience, week to week.