The Film Festival finally recovers pre-pandemic levels in its attendance data. The initiative, organized by the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain, the State Film Association (AECINE), the Association of Independent Cinematographic Distributors (ADICINE) and ESCAC, has counted 1,394,058 spectators in its twenty-third edition. An edition that, as usual, has facilitated access to the big screen with a reduced rate of 3.50 euros during the four days between November 4 and 7.
According to provisional data from the consulting firm Comscore Movies, this is the best attendance figure since 2019, increasing viewers by more than 63% compared to the June 2024 edition and 16% more compared to the October 2023 edition. In this way it has become the second best week so far this year, only behind the week of the premiere of the phenomenon of the year, ‘Inside Out 2’, the June 21.
In terms of titles, three Spanish films make it into the top 10 most viewed films during the Film Festival: The Infiltrator, The Room Next Door and Escape. The ten most viewed films of this edition, in order, have been: Venom: The Last Dance, Wild Robot, The infiltrator, Terrifier3, Jury No. 2, RedOne, Smile 2, The substance, The next room and Exhaust.
More than half a million more viewers than in spring
Compared to the discreet data obtained in last June’s edition, when the second worst data of the decade was obtained with 832,128 spectators, the result of this latest edition obtains 561,930 more spectators and exceeds the 1,198,062 achieved in October 2023, that pointed to a recovery after the pandemic. The new data suggests a revitalization of attendance at theaters, leaving behind figures as discouraging as those of May 2022 – the first edition after the pandemic – which did not exceed 704,977 spectators.
It is worth remembering that after the pandemic there was a radical change in leisure habits in the audiovisual sector in Spain, where digital platforms prevailed among viewers’ preferences. This fact caused a pronounced drop in spectators, especially in those who had been essential for the theaters, the adult audience, who came week after week to watch movies.
Three years later, that gap has not been fixed, but data like those published today could invite optimism. In any case, it must be taken into account that the editions of the Film Festival held in the fall tend to perform worse in terms of attendance data than those that take place in the spring. In 2018 alone, more viewers attended the spring edition – 1.6 million – than the autumn edition – 1.3 million.
The responsibility for this improvement in attendance data may lie in the initiatives launched by the Ministry of Culture with the intention of regaining the loyalty of the adult public. Thus, the ‘Tuesdays at the Movies’ initiative, which began in July 2023, and through which those over 65 years of age can go to theaters for only two euros, has been a resounding success.
The Federation of Film Exhibitors quantified the increase in attendance on Tuesdays at 49% compared to the previous year. It went from 2.7 million to four million viewers. It also improved by 23% compared to 2019. In total, in those first months almost a million viewers benefited from the program.
This initiative, organized by the Federation of Cinematographic Distributors (FEDICINE), the Federation of Cinemas of Spain (FECE) and the Ministry of Culture and Sports, seeks to encourage attendance at movie theaters. An objective that, despite the notable decline experienced in recent years, does manage to revitalize Spanish theaters.
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