MADRID — Disney. An extraordinary Mouse House septet, all ranking in Spain’s Top 10, drove its 2019 box office to its biggest cinema theater ticket sales in the decade, according to Comscore figures released Thursday.
The last time movies in Spain scored more spectators was 2009, said David Rodríguez, general manager, Spain & Portugal, Comscore Movies.
In all, Spain’s B.O. gross for movies of any nationality came in at €624.1 million ($699.0 million), 7% up on 2018, and the best figure for Spain since 2011’s €630 million ($705.6 million). Admissions totaled 105.5 million, a year-on-year increase of 8%, and the best score since 2009, Comscore announced.
Disney’s “The Lion King” alone grossed €37.2 million ($41.7 million), the best result in Spain for any individual movie since 2014’s “Ocho apellidos vascos” (“Spanish Affair”), which earned €56.1 million ($62.8 million).
No. 3 at 2019’s box office was “Avengers: Endgame,” which made the best opening of any film last year with €10.4 million ($11.6 million) over April 26-29, accounting for 74% of total cinema theater takings for the extended weekend.
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“Thanks to the huge power of Disney, box office in Spain has outperformed all expectations, especially with the first quarter down 20% on same period 2018,” Rodríguez said.
Second placed, and icing on the cake for the Spanish market, was Warner Bros.’ “The Joker,” which outperformed expectations, as in much of the world, taking €30.1 million ($33.7 million) at Spanish tills.
CREDIT: Niko Tavernise
The last time six movies all sold north of three million tickets in Spain was 2015, said Rodríguez.
Spanish cinema, in contrast, had a paradoxical year: Pedro Almodóvar’s “Pain and Glory” won the Cannes Festival best actor for Antonio Banderas, Oliver Laxe’s “Fire Will Come” Cannes Un Certain Regard Jury Prize, “The Platform” topped Toronto Midnight Madness, “The Endless Trench” scooped San Sebastian best director and screenplay.
Big kudos at big fests did not translate, however, into big bucks in Spain, Spanish films’ total market share dropping to a 15% market share off a total B.O. gross of €93.1 million ($104.3 million), down 9% on 2018, and 15.9 million, a decrease of 8%, according to Comscore calculations.
“Spanish cinema hasn’t had a huge hit like 2018’s ‘Champions,’ which grossed €19.3 million [$21.6 million], and couldn’t compete with Disney’s best year and ‘Joker’s’ performance,” said Rodríguez.
Significantly, all three of Spain’s highest-grossing movies are comedy remakes, Santiago Segura’s “Padre no hay mas que uno” of Argentina’s “Ten Days Without Mom,” “I Can Quit Whenever I Want” of the 2014 Italian original, and “Si yo fuera rico” of 2002 French title “”Ah! Si j’etas riche.”
Atresmedia Cine, part of Atresmedia Studios, co-produced five of the top 10 Spanish movies, including “Padre,” Telecinco Cine co-produced “I Can Quit” and “Si yo fuera rico,” a continuing indication of the power of Spain’s top two commercial networks’ production arm.
CREDIT: Javier Cebollada/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
In one new development, Alejandro Amenábar’s “While at War,” the first Original Film at Telefonica pay TV unit Movistar Plus, scored a gratifying €11.0 million ($12.3 million) in Spain.
In a bigger picture, 2018 sustains a longer-term recuperation of the Spanish box office, starting in 2014, after Spain, whammied by a 2008-13 double-dip recession, plunged to a 76.9 million admissions trough in 2013, its lowest result since multiplexing.
That may of course as be as good as it gets, at least in the short-term. More Spanish movies may catch fire at the local box office in 2020. That is unlikely, however, to compensate for an almost inevitably weaker Disney slate next year.
Top Ten Box Office Hits in Spain, 2019
(Title, distributor in Spain, gross, admissions)
1 “The Lion King,” Disney, €37.2 million ($41.7 million), 6.4 million
2 “Joker,” Warner Bros., €30.1 million ($33.7 million), 5.1 million
3 “Avengers: Endgame,” Disney, €29.2 million ($32.7 million), 4.6 million
4 “Aladdin,” Disney, €25.4 million ($4million), 4.8 million
5 “Toy Story 4,” Disney, €21.4 million ($24.0 million), 3.8 million
6 “Frozen 2,” Disney, €18.2 million ($20.4 million), 3.1 million
7 “Dumbo,” Disney, €14.5 million ($16.2 million), 2.4 million
8 “Padre no hay más que uno,” Sony, €14.2 million ($15.9 million), 2.5 million
9 “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” Sony, €14.0 million ($15.6 million), 2.1 million
10 “Spiderman: Far from Home,” Disney, €13.5 million ($15.2 million) 2.3 million
Top Ten Spanish Box Office Hits in Spain, 2019
1 “Padre no hay más que uno,” Sony, €14.2 ($15.9 million), 2.5 million
2 “I Can Quit Whenever I Want,” Sony, €11.4 million ($12.7 million), 1.9 million
3 “If I Were Rich Man,” PPI, €11.3 million ($12.7 million), 1.9 million
4 “While at War,” Disney, €11.0 million ($12.3 million), 1.9 million
5 “Pain and Glory,” Sony, €5.8 million ($6.5 million), 947,098
6 “Bajo el mismo techo,” Sony, €3.6 million ($4.0 million), 598,627
7 “Perdiendo el este,” WBI, €2.9 million ($3.2 million), 482,764
8 “Los Japón,” WBI, €2.8 million ($3.1 million), 478,886
9 “Eye for an Eye,” Sony, €2.5 million ($2.8 million), 425,190
10 “El silencio de la ciudad blanca,” €2.3 million ($2.6 million), 458,946