Miguel Angel Perez was born in 1962 in Casablanca, Moroccoso in some way it was already written in the stars that his thing would end up being cinema. Cinephile since childhood, remember that “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” It was one of the first movies he saw in a dark room. He did not dare to study film so as not to upset his family, so when he finished high school he looked for the closest thing he could find: Information Sciences, specializing in Advertising.
His first weapons in the film industry were in the advertising department of Metro, but he soon began working in the film distribution business, first in Tripictures and then in Vertigo Films. In 2003 he became co-founder of the prestigious Karma Filmsand now directs solo Surstey Filmswith which he produced “Trip to Surstey”his first foray into the other side of the camera.
After going through distribution and production, at the age of 58 he decided to try his luck in the third leg of the film industry: exhibition. In 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, it opened the Ambassador Cinemas of Madridtheaters specialized in Spanish, independent and author cinema. Four years later it already has other cinemas in Madrid, and has just opened the Foncalada Ambassadors of Oviedo/Uvieuwhich this Wednesday celebrates its first six months of life. They will celebrate with tickets for three euros.
Takes the step to exhibition in the room at a time when fashion is the platforms
Cinema in theaters is not dead, what happens is that in this profession we are very crybaby. I argue a lot with my colleagues because I always see the glass half full. Between 2015 and 2019 there was an increase in in-theater spectators that was interrupted by the pandemic. It is true that with confinement there has been a boom in platforms, but that will continue to coexist with the movie buff who goes every week and the public who wants to continue going out on the street, taking a walk, going to see a movie and then have dinner or a drink there.
Why was cinema rising between 2015 and 2019?
Because good movies are being made again. Cinema crises depend more on the quality of the films than on economic situations. If people are interested in the movies that are released, they get the money from anywhere to go see them. Look at the “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” phenomenon. Two films that premiere in summer, sweep the box office and save many theaters from closing.
“Cinema crises depend more on the quality of the films than on the economic situation”
The opening of the Madrid Ambassadors in the middle of the pandemic was, however, seen as something almost quixotic.
I am 58 years old and I was looking for a more stable and calm business than distribution. I found the place by chance, while walking. It is true that the pandemic caught us with everything ready to open, but as soon as we opened the cinemas they were a bombshell. I always trust the cinema.
How many people work in cinemas?
40 in the entire group, 10 in the Foncalada Ambassadors.
What did they tell you when you proposed repeating the play in Oviedo?
That I wasn’t going to get out, that I was crazy… People were even more pessimistic than in Madrid, but I always say that our investments are measured, even conservative. Some large cinemas in shopping centers do not cost less than five million euros. We invest in investments of 500,000 or 700,000 euros, almost what a middle-class apartment in Madrid is worth. They are cinemas with small rooms, easy to fill. With 30 or 50 people you already have the feeling that the room is full, because it is true that going to a large cinema and noticing the room half empty is a bit devastating.
Why Oviedo?
I am an entrepreneur, I like to grow, and I was looking for a city outside of Madrid. The goal was a medium-sized city, without cinemas in the center and with reasonable rents. There were two candidates: Logroño and Oviedo. In Logroño we do not find premises and in Oviedo we do. The truth is that I had nothing attached to Oviedo, but when I arrived and started walking around and looking for places, it gave me the impression of a very lively city. You are in the center at noon on any given weekday and the number of people on the street catches your attention. Furthermore, northern cities are generally quite film-loving and cultural.
For Oviedo it has been an unexpected gift
Opening a movie theater may be an act of heroism for a small business like ours, but it’s not crazy. What we have done is bring new viewers to the theaters because the rest of the cinemas remain with the same ones they had.
Like Broncano with the TV
Yes, something like that.
How is things going?
We are satisfied. It is true that after 14 years without cinemas in the center many people have lost the habit of going to theaters, but in six months open we have already had 50,000 spectators, which is very good. They are working very well on Tuesdays for adults, with tickets for two euros, specific premieres like Almodóvar’s latest, and in general children’s films and reruns of classics, which are being a surprise due to the good response they have. The only thing I miss is that the information about the premieres goes faster. There the lack of local critics is missed. It is something that all newspapers used to have and now it is scarce. We also want to do more passes with directors. We want to attract more young audiences and create a living cinema habit where there are reasons to go every week.
The cineforums of the old arthouse theaters or the book club format, but taken to the cinema
We are being an example of a new type of cinema in Spain and I would even say in Europe: small theaters, but with a lot of activity. In Madrid we have the “ambassador community”. We have monthly meetings with our partners, they propose films, series, colloquiums… It is true that in Madrid it is easier to bring directors because many film people live there, but in Oviedo we are also going to do it. The other day with Pilar Palomero went very well, we filled up and we are going to repeat the formula.
The billboard sometimes looks like a sudoku
We try to fit everything we can into the space we have. There are 24 premieres this weekend. Imagine! Playing with schedules is the only way to project everything. Our intention is to open a fifth room in Oviedo for 60 spectators. We will apply for the license shortly.
Popcorn yes or no?
At the moment only in children’s sessions. Many people do not claim them, but we are still evaluating it.
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