29/05/2024 - According to the Ministry of Culture, the film industry increased compared to the previous year, where the total number of viewers recorded a 29.7% year-on-year increase, reaching 76.7 million

Championext by Javier Fesser, the highest-grossing Spanish film of 2023

In mid-May, the Spanish Ministry of Culture published Cinematography Statistics: Production, Exhibition, Distribution and Promotion for 2023, an annual report as part of the National Statistics Plan. According to the report, film in Spain grew by around 30% in 2023: the total number of viewers recorded a 29.7% year-on-year increase to 76.7 million and total takings amounted to €493 million, 34.2% higher than the previous year. In addition, the 3,608 cinemas throughout Spain hosted 728 premieres: 13.2% more than the previous year.

In terms of Spanish cinema, 673 Spanish films were screened last year (of which 288 feature films were released), which were seen by a total of 13.4 million viewers, representing a 2.9% growth. Meanwhile, takings totalled €82.4 million for Spanish-produced films, a 6.2% increase. 1,684 foreign films had 63.3 million viewers in 2023, representing a 37.4% year-on-year recovery. In total, they grossed €410.7 million, an increase of 41.6% compared to 2022. With an average of 7.5 cinemas per 100,000 inhabitants, European films grossed €176.3 million in Spain, compared to €299.8 million for US films.

The statistics also show a decreasing gender gap in the industry, in keeping with the actions implemented in recent years by the Ministry of Culture. Among the feature films produced in Spain, 41.9% were directed or scripted by women, a 5.3% increase compared to 2019.

In terms of production in Spain, a total of 375 feature films were made, of which 298 were entirely national and 77 in co-production with other countries. The average cost of a feature film in 2023 was €3 million (to calculate the average production cost of feature films, only Spanish feature films with a cost recognised by the ICAA and with a budget of over €900,000 have been taken into account). There was a total of 553 active film production companies (with at least one film in 2023), with the Community of Madrid on top (with 195 companies), followed by Catalonia (107) and Andalusia (67).

Since 2020, the results of these statistics have been interpreted taking into account the effect of the COVID-19 crisis, which had a significant impact on cinemas. In this sense, the four-year decline continues to be recorded compared to 2019. The number of viewers is 26.9% lower and box-office takings are down 19.8%.

The full 2023 Cinematography Statistics report (in Spanish) can be viewed here.

(Translated from Spanish)