12/07/2011

Audience figures in Portuguese movie theatres dropped by almost 0.5m in the first half of 2011 compared to the same period in 2010, according to a half-yearly report published by the National Film and Audiovisual Institute (ICA).

While in the first semester of 2010, movie theatres recorded 7,821,38 admissions, audience figures for the same period in 2011 were 7,391,431. As a result, box office takings also dropped from €38,059,715 to €37,334,924.5.

US production Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, released on May 19, is the highest-grossing film of the year so far in Portugal (435,340 viewers; €2,659,722 in takings).

There are no surprises in the Top 10, which is dominated by US productions. Standing out in the list are two co-productions between the US and Europe: German director Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarc’s The Tourist [+see also:
trailer
making of
film profile] (US/France), which amassed €2,002,186 in takings; and Brit director Tom Hooper’s Oscar-winner The King’s Speech [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tom Hooper
film profile] (UK/US), which garnered €1,565,686.8.

As for the 15 domestic films released (seven documentaries and eight narrative features), the figures are less optimistic, given that their release was systematically limited to a small number of theatres. The most-watched Portuguese film was Mário Patrocinio’s documentary Complexo: Parallel Universe (photo) (€85,063 in takings), followed by another two documentaries: Sergio Tréfaut’s The City of the Dead (€31,605), and Susana Sousa Dias’s 48 (€15,179.09 in takings).

(Translated from Spanish)