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Spectators in Bilbao's Multis Jordi Alemany
Cheap tickets offered to over-65s in Spain in renewed bid to encourage more people to go to the cinema

Cheap tickets offered to over-65s in Spain in renewed bid to encourage more people to go to the cinema

The government has allocated 12 million euros to the second round of the senior film programme, 20% more than last year

Thursday, 28 March 2024, 10:21

Cinema ticket prices have been reduced again to just two euros on Tuesdays for anyone aged over 65 in Spain in a bid to encourage more senior citizens to go to the pictures.

It comes after the government approved the second round of funding for the senior cinema programme on Tuesday 26 March. There is no date set yet, but it will allow spectators aged 65 and over to enjoy two-euro cinema tickets on Tuesdays throughout the year.

The ministry of culture program subsidises Spanish cinemas, which in 2023 counted a total of 77.8 million spectators, 26% more than in 2022. However, this is still 24% less than before the pandemic. "It is a measure that has a national impact and from which 9.5 million people will benefit," minister of culture Ernest Urtasun said. The government has allocated 12 million euros for the programme this year, 20% more than in 2023.

The measure to promote culture and leisure among Spanish elders, which included brining older spectators to cinemas, was announced by President Pedro Sánchez last year in the middle of his election campaign. The initiative also aimed to combat sedentary lifestyles with the ministry of culture claiming only 6% of the over-65s went to the cinema in 2021 and 2022.

According to data from the Federation of Spanish Cinemas (FECE), which groups together 80% of the country's exhibitors, last year 924,724 spectators signed up for the senior cinema programme, 25% of the total number of cinema tickets sold. Attendance on Tuesdays increased by 49% compared to the previous year. The films most watched by the country's seniors were Napoleon, Killers of the Flower Moon (Los asesinos de la luna), A Moroccan Affair (Ocho apellidos marroquíes), Oppenheimer and Championex (Campeonex).

"Of all the cultural sectors, cinema was one of the hardest hit by the pandemic and the hardest to recover from," Urtasun said. "Among other things, it was due to the drop in the number of audiences aged 65 and over. This measure guarantees the right of access to culture for everyone in our country, regardless of their age, postcode or income."

Discounted tickets will be available both at the box office and on the cinemas' websites.

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surinenglish Cheap tickets offered to over-65s in Spain in renewed bid to encourage more people to go to the cinema