Face and cross of Spanish cinema this 2022 that is about to end. Although the box office has overcome the icy figures of last year, with a collection in theaters of just 40 million euros and 6.7 million viewers, the balance of 2022 is much more positive, although far from the excellent pre-pandemic figures.
In the absence of official data for the last days of the year, Spanish productions have accumulated close to 80 million and have gathered just over 13 million viewers, according to figures from the Ministry of Culture and Sports. These are numbers that obviously improve those of the last two years, hit by the coronavirus crisis.
In 2020, a year in which cinemas were closed during confinement, the collection totaled 43 million and there were 7.3 million viewers. Nothing to do with figures of yesteryear such as the extraordinary 2014, with 125.7 million euros, and thanks to the phenomenon of Eight Basque surnames, which alone managed to raise 56 million. Or those of 2017 and 2018, when they exceeded 100 million at the box office thanks to hits like Tadeo Jones 2 or Campeones, respectively.
Precisely, the third installment of Tadeo Jones has been the second highest grossing Spanish film of the year, with 11,771,615 million euros, only surpassed by that earthquake and savior of Spanish cinema called Santiago Segura, that with Father there is only one 3 it is placed at number one with more than fifteen and a half million euros and 2.7 million viewers. In 2021, the director and actor already did the same with A todo tren. Destination Asturias, which monopolized 8.4 million euros.
Undoubtedly, family sagas and comedies are the favorites of the Spanish public. The sequel to A todo tren, this time directed by Inés de León, is in fifth position. The musical comedy Voy a pasármelo bien, enlivened with the songs of Hombres G, is the ninth most watched and La vida padre, set in the world of cooking with Karra Elejalde and Enric Auquer as protagonists, closes the top 10.
In third position is the psychological thriller Los renglones torcidos de Dios, in which Oriol Paulo adapts the homonymous bestseller by Torcuato Luca de Tena. Close to six million accumulated since its premiere on October 6, Spanish Film Day. Álex de la Iglesia has brought another title that hit theaters at the end of October to fourth position, the crazy road movie The Fourth Passenger.
Three of the films most nominated for the Goya awards, As bestas, Modelo 77 and Alcarràs, with 17, 16 and eleven nominations respectively, appear in the top 10 ranking. Rodrigo Sorogoyen's rural thriller, released in November and winner at the Forqué, is in sixth place with just over three million euros raised. Alcarràs, the film by Carla Simón that won a historic Golden Bear, we see it in seventh place with 2,331,434 euros and 391,096 viewers and the prison drama by Alberto Rodríguez stands at number eight on the list with just over Two millions of euros.
Without a doubt, they are high-quality films that deserved better treatment from the public. The same as Cinco lobitos, the acclaimed debut feature on motherhood by Alauda Ruiz de Azúa, which appears directly at number 23. La maternal, Pilar Palomero's second feature film after winning four Goyas with Las niñas, is at number 45 and One year, one night, by Isaki Lacuesta, which reflects the horror of terrorism that shook the Bataclán theater in Paris and which is nominated for fourteen Gaudí awards, comes in at number 47.
Another feature film debut that has received excellent reviews, such as that of Carlota Pereda y su Cerdita, has only collected 376,417 euros. Neither El agua, by Elena López Riera, who won applause in the Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival and aspires to win two big heads, or Suro, with ten Gaudí nominations, have attracted the attention of an audience that is hard to gather back to the magic of the rooms. And that there was a lot to choose from.
For the FECE (Federation of Cinemas of Spain) the return of viewers to movie theaters in Spain "is not happening as fast as the sector needs", as stated by its general director, Luis Gil. "We must fight against all odds against the adversities that the sector is encountering after the pandemic." The association considers it necessary to establish an exhibition window of 100 days, for all films that are released in cinemas -following other European examples such as France or Italy-, as an urgent and essential measure to guarantee the recovery of theaters.
