The Instituto de la Cinematografia y de las Artes Audiovisuales (ICAA) of the Spanish Ministry of Culture and Sports has published its data on attendance at cinemas in early January.
Audiences fell by 2% in 2018, with 97.7 million people going to the cinema, generating €585.7 million.
The top of the box office ratings table is dominated by major American productions. Jurassic World: The Fallen Kingdom, directed by Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona, attracted most spectators, taking €24.22 million. Sharing the podium are the Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody and The Indestructibles 2, an animation film from Pixar studios.
Although only one Spanish film is in the box office top 10, it should be noted that national films account for nearly €104 million in revenue. That’s one million more than in 2017, and 17.6 million viewers. The most successful Spanish production is Javier Fesser’s Champions, a comedy featuring disabled people acting alongside Javier Guttiérez. Seen by 3.3 million people, it generated €19 million in revenue. Superlopez by Javier Ruiz Caldera and Perfect Strangers by Alex de la Iglesia also had large audiences. National production accounts for 17.5% of theatrical films compared to 67% of American films.
In 2019 several big names in Spanish cinema are expected, Pedro Almodovar for example, who three years after Julieta returns with his new film Dolor y gloria, featuring his favourite actors Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas. Also note the release of Alejandro Amenábar’s new film Mientras dure la guerra.
Sources: https://www.lavanguardia.com, http://asturnews.com, www.culturaydeporte.gob.e
