It came as no surprise to the industry that the Spanish Box Office in 2013 recorded its worst figures for a decade, with total revenue down by 16% on last year and no Spanish titles amongst the top ten most viewed films.
The total revenue was €508 million, down by 16% on the previous year. Much of the decline is blamed on piracy (18% of the Spanish population has access to pirated content), the VAT hike from 8% to 21% and the general economic situation in the country.
The number of people visiting the cinema in 2013 went down from 94 million in 2012 to 78 million in 2013.
Going to the cinema is not a cheap leisure activity, and with general prices rising all the time, people still losing their jobs on a daily basis, tax hikes and the general state of the economy, the figures came as no surprise to the industry.
In addition, around 20% of cinemas have not yet changed the format of their screens and projectors as the end of 35 mm looms, and this will mean that they will have to either invest in the region of €50,000 to upgrade or close down.