The Spanish Ministry of Culture has recently published the Cinematography Statistics: Production, Exhibition, Distribution and Promotion for 2024, an annual report that forms part of the National Statistics Plan. According to the findings, a total of 2,403 films were screened across the 3,566 cinemas operating throughout Spain, of which 735 were premieres. These figures represent a year-on-year increase of 2% in the number of films screened and 1% in premieres. The number of cinema-goers in Spain last year was 72.9 million, with a total box office takings amounting to 484.6 million euros.

In particular, Spanish cinema saw growth in both the number of films screened and audience figures: 658 films were shown last year, attracting 13.6 million viewers. This marks a rise in both audience numbers and box office revenue, which reached 85.6 million euros. These figures represent year-on-year increases of 1.2% and 4% respectively.

In contrast to the growth of Spanish cinema, foreign productions experienced a decline in viewership, with a 6% decrease in 2024. One contributing factor, according to this report, was the 2023 Hollywood screenwriters’ strike, which affected production figures the following year.

The report also notes that Saturday was the most popular day of the week for cinema attendance in Spain, followed by Wednesday, which is when many cinemas offer discounted tickets. Peak box office revenue was recorded on Saturdays and Sundays.

The growth in Spanish cinema’s audience and revenue was accompanied by its presence at major film festivals. At Venice, The Room Next Door [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Jonás Trueba
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Within the framework of the gender equality policies promoted by the Spanish Ministry of Culture through the Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA), the statistics indicate a progressive narrowing of the gender gap in the sector: in 2024, 46.5% of Spanish-produced feature films were either directed or written by women.

With regard to film production, the report includes, among other data, information on the Spanish production companies active in 2024 (561 in total) and the number of titles produced: 289 were fully Spanish productions, 87 were co-productions, with an average production cost of 2.8 million euros. The distribution data includes the activity of the 317 distribution companies, along with the nationality of the films they distribute: 103 solely Spanish films, and 29 solely films from other European countries. Screening data includes both infrastructure — 734 cinemas and 3,566 screening rooms — and activity, such as the number of films released and shown, audience figures, and box office takings (as mentioned above).