Portuguese cinemas experienced a significant boost in May 2023, surpassing the one million movie-goers mark and achieving their best month of the year so far. According to the Institute
for Cinema and Audiovisuals, a total of 1,094,000 spectators visited Portuguese showrooms in May, marking a substantial 56.6% increase compared to the same period last year.
This milestone had not been reached since December of the previous year. In 2022, the one million spectator mark was surpassed in July, August, and December. May 2023 also proved to be the most profitable month, generating €6.4 million in revenue. The total revenue for the year now stands at €26.3 million, a significant 46.7% increase compared to the €17.9 million generated in the first five months of the previous year.
The success in May can be attributed to the release of popular films such as "Furious X" directed by Louis Leterrier, which attracted 442,726 viewers in its 13-day exhibition, and James Gunn's "Guardians of the Galaxy vol.3," which filled 208,392 seats.
Other notable films on the list include Rob Marshall's "The Little Mermaid" with 93,000 spectators, "The Super Mario Bros Movie" by Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, and Pierre Leduc with 82,000 viewers, and Oleh Malamuzh and Oleksandra Ruban0s "Mavka: Soul of the Forest" with 32,000 ticket sales.
Among Portuguese films, two May premieres made it to the list of most-viewed films: João Canijo's "Hardly Living" and "Living Hard" secured the third and fourth positions, respectively, attracting 11,225 and 7,092 spectators.
The most viewed national production of the year is "Amadeus" directed by Vicente Alves do Ó, filling 12,758 seats, followed by João Gonzalez's Oscar-nominated film "Ice Merchants," which was seen by 11,544 people. Photo by Vitor Oliveira from Torres Vedras, PORTUGAL, Wikimedia commons.