The gender gap continues to narrow: 25.9% of Spanish feature films were directed or co-directed by a woman and 40.5% involved women in scriptwriting.
The Ministry of Culture has today published the Cinematography Statistics: Production, Exhibition, Distribution and Promotion for 2023, an annual statistical operation belonging to the National Statistical Plan. The document is now available in the online database CULTURABase.
According to the report, cinema in Spain grew by around 30% in 2023. The total number of spectators registered a year-on-year increase of 29.7% to 76.7 million. At the same time, total takings amounted to 493 million euros, 34.2% more than the previous year. The number of films shown in some of the 3,608 cinemas distributed throughout Spain was 2,357, of which 728 were premieres, 13.2% more than the previous year.
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Cinema in Spain grew by around 30%
Spanish cinema maintains its growth
As for Spanish cinema, the results continue to show rising figures, testifying to its current strength. Last year, 673 Spanish films were shown, which were seen by a total of 13.4 million spectators, representing a growth of 2.9%. Meanwhile, box office takings totalled 82.4 million euros,
For their part, foreign films received 63.3 million admissions in 2023, representing a year-on-year recovery of 37.4%. In total, they grossed 410.7 million euros, an increase of 41.6% compared to 2022.
More female directors and screenwriters
The statistics also note the reduction of the gender gap in the sector, in line with the actions articulated in recent years by the Ministry of Culture. In Spanish-produced feature films, 41.9% were directed or scripted by women in 2023, an increase of 5.3 percentage points compared to 2019. According to the statistics, 25.9% of Spanish-produced feature films were directed or co-directed by a woman. In 40.5% of them, women participated in the development of the script. In both cases, these percentages represent increases compared to 2022.
Since 2020, the interpretation of the results of this statistical operation has taken into account the effect of the COVID-19 crisis, which had a particular impact on cinema activity. In this sense, decreases continue to be recorded over the four-year period, concerning 2019: the number of spectators is 26.9% lower and box office takings are 19.8% lower.
About the statistics
The Cinematography Statistics: Production, Exhibition, Distribution and Promotion is compiled by the Ministry of Culture through the Subdirectorate General for the Promotion of the Cinematographic and Audiovisual Industry of the Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA), together with the Statistics and Studies Division of the General Technical Secretariat. The statistical operation offers indicators on film activity, including production, distribution, exhibition, infrastructure and takings.
Regarding film production, it provides data on the production companies that have developed activity or the number of films produced. The information on distribution refers to the activity of distribution companies and the nationality of the films they distribute. The data on exhibition includes both the infrastructure, cinemas and theatres, and their activity, films released and exhibited, spectators, or box office takings.