Spain’s independent film distribution sector is showing stronger box office performance while facing persistent challenges over screen access, release scheduling and the length of theatrical exclusivity periods.
Rentrak figures presented at the sixth edition of Valladolid’s Merci market showed that members of Adicine, Spain’s leading association of independent film distributors, increased their box office receipts by 45% through September. Elastica Films’ La Bola Negra, released on Sept. 25, added further momentum with a notably successful theatrical run.
The improved figures have not resolved the competition for cinemas. Distributors, exhibitors and streaming executives at Merci described a market with crowded calendars, bookings confirmed close to release dates and growing dependence on a small number of major hits.
Miguel Morales of Wanda Visión said that 14 or 15 Spanish and international films can open in a single week, a volume that audiences and cinemas cannot fully absorb. He also noted that Spanish and French comedies that previously attracted around 100,000 admissions can now struggle to reach 10,000, while late screen confirmations make promotional campaigns more difficult.
Mercedes Gamero, CEO of Beta Fiction Spain, warned that some weekends generate as much as 80% of their box office from one film. She argued that the market needs greater variety and that mid-range productions must be able to survive commercially. Eva Rekettyei, programming director at Cines Yelmo, said successful releases such as The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day can benefit smaller titles by increasing overall cinema attendance, but added that exhibitors have limited space for the volume of films produced in Spain and internationally.
The participants also discussed theatrical windows. Exhibitors and platforms agreed that a cinema release creates value beyond ticket sales, although they differed over how long films should remain exclusive to theaters.
Movistar Plus editorial director Íñigo Trojaola said the platform depends on cinemas and premieres about 280 films each year, approximately 180 of them independent. Octavio Alzola, programming and marketing director at Cines Renoir, said exclusive windows that were significantly reduced during the pandemic have gradually become longer again. He argued that the key issue is not a fixed number of weeks but recognizing the value created by a film’s time in theaters.
Streaming executives nevertheless called for flexibility when films disappear quickly from cinemas. Trojaola said overly rigid windows can leave films without an audience, while Filmin COO and co-founder José Antonio de Luna highlighted the risk of piracy when a film is no longer screening but remains unavailable legally for an extended period.
The participants pointed to Oliver Laxe’s Sirât as an example of cooperation between cinemas and platforms. Cines Renoir was still screening the film when Movistar Plus began promoting its future streaming premiere. Alzola said the campaign coincided with an increase in cinema attendance for the title.
Merci also attracted a larger group of buyers. Held from Oct. 28 to 30 at Valladolid’s Broadway cinemas and organized by the Valladolid Film Festival, known as Seminci, together with Adicine, the market drew an estimated 215 professionals, compared with 190 the previous year.
The event presented 26 films scheduled for theatrical release in Spain between late 2026 and mid-2027. Representatives of RTVE, Movistar Plus, Filmin and HBO attended, along with regional public broadcasters, including first-time participant ETB Basque television. Market coordinator Olimpia Pont Cháfer said the event brought together people with authority to make acquisition decisions, although agreements may be completed later.
As acquisition prices rise, Spanish independent distributors are increasingly cooperating to purchase films and share release, booking and marketing costs, according to Pont Cháfer.
This year’s edition was the first since former Seminci director José Luis Cienfuegos died in December 2025. The market’s career award was renamed in his honor and presented to Otilio García Gobeo, a leading figure at Golem Cinemas and Golem Distribución for more than four decades.
The second La Meseta Distribution Awards recognized campaigns for independent releases at the market’s closing. Silencio Cinema received the €5,000 first prize for Claudia Estrada Tarascó’s Salen las lobas, while Elastica won the second prize, worth $4,700, for La Gradiva.
Sources: Variety.