They will be able to do so in any of the 420 cinemas throughout Spain that have taken advantage of the measure promoted by the Government to encourage people aged 65 and over to return to the cinema.

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Senior Cinema

The logo for this initiative was unveiled today. A simple design based on the image of a cinema ticket appeals to the emotional and face-to-face experience that cinemas provide.
Tuesday 11 July sees the launch of the Cine Sénior programme, under which people over the age of 65 can go to the cinema for 2 euros, one day a week, at any of the 420 cinemas throughout SpainExternal link, opens in the new window that has taken advantage of the measure promoted by the government to encourage people to return to cinemas. Between them, there are more than 3,000 projection screens distributed throughout the country.

The logo for this initiative was unveiled today. The image of a traditional cinema ticket appeals to the collective imagination, especially that of the elderly. It is a proposal that advocates recovering the illusion of enjoying the cinema as an emotional and face-to-face experience, which transcends the mere fact of watching a film and, instead, turns the act of going to the cinema into a social and vibrant practice.

According to the Royal Decree approved by the Council of Ministers on 13 June, at the proposal of the Minister of Culture and Sport, Miquel Iceta, the measure will allow one day a week, preferably on Tuesdays or another day in the case of cinemas that are only open at the weekend or that close on Tuesdays, for people aged 65 and over to go to the cinema for 2 euros. Tickets can only be issued at the cinemas’ ticket offices, subject to the person’s identification and proof of age.

The programme has a budget of 10 million euros from the General State Budget 2023.

Cinema on the big screen

People aged 65 and over are the age group that is taking the longest to return to the cinema-going habits that existed before the pandemic. Thus, in terms of cinema attendance, there are still notable differences between age groups: while 49.3% of 20-24-year-olds went to the cinema at least once a year between 2021 and 2022, this percentage drops to 6% in the older population.

Of all the cultural sectors, cinema is one of the most affected, even today, by the pandemic. The health measures taken in the wake of COVID-19 led to a significant drop in average cinema attendance among Spanish audiences, an attendance that has not yet recovered. Despite the upturn experienced in 2022, the sector still finds itself with approximately 40% fewer spectators in relation to the average for the years 2017 to 2019.

This measure is aligned with the objectives of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan. Its component 24 aims to facilitate access to culture and foster the transition to the new digital environment that allows for the incorporation of new possibilities and realities. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals also recognise the safeguarding and promotion of culture as two goals in themselves.

The new direct subsidy programme is in addition to the direct aid to cinemas that the Ministry of Culture and Sport launched to counteract the effects of COVID-19. In 2022, it allocated more than 10 million euros to 232 companies and entities, and a total of 476 cinemas throughout the country.