A record year for Spanish movies

The year is not yet out, but 2014 has already gone down as a date to remember in the history of Spanish cinema.

Up until December 7, homegrown movies have earned €123 million, the highest figure on record, said FAPAE, the federation of Spanish film and TV producers.

The 25.5-percent market share for Spain-made films is also the best result the industry has seen in the last 37 years.

The numbers break a lengthy downward trend for the ailing Spanish film sector. So far, Spanish movies have grossed 75.3 percent more than in 2013, while audiences have grown 89 percent to 20.8 million people.

So far this year, the audience for Spanish movies has grown 89 percent to 20.8 million people

But there have also been other honorable mentions, such as El niño (€16.2 million), Torrente 5: Operación Eurovegas (€10.7 million), La isla mínima (€6 million) and Spain-Argentina co-production Wild Tales (€4 million).

FAPAE president Ramón Colón said the positive numbers represented “the birth in Spain of popular movies, the kind that attract the masses to the movie theaters,” and that the results “break the barrier between Spanish movies and audiences.”

Another producer opted for more caution, noting that the industry needs to achieve stable market shares “that do not vary wildly from 12 percent to 25 percent and back again.”