The monthly statistical data from the Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual (ICA), shows that in October there had been about 251,000 spectators in cinemas, resulting in €1.3 million of box office takings, but the figures fell to less than half in November, with 108,220 spectators and €579,00 in box office revenue.

This fall in numbers from one month to the next - in a year that has already seen the sector face unprecedented drops in revenue - happened during the period when the Government renewed the decree of the state of emergency in several municipalities, to contain the spread of Covid-19, and which meant partial lockdowns and nightly curfews leading to the halting of several film sessions at night.

In comparative terms, the figures recorded in November this year represent a drop of almost 91% in both attendance and box office revenues compared to November 2019. Based on November data, 2020 recorded a drop of about 74% in box office revenues and the number of spectators, compared to the same period in 2019. According to ICA, from January to November this year, commercial cinemas in Portugal had 3.6 million viewers and took €19.7 million at the box office, far from the 14 million viewers and €75 million during the same period in 2019.

In November, the most watched film, totalling only 18,750 viewers, was Mark Williams’ “One Last Blow”, followed by Ana Rocha de Sousa’s “Listen”, with 17,454 viewers, and the animation “Trolls: Tour mundial” by Walt Dorhn and David Smith, with 8,824 entries. Given that the pandemic of Covid-19 had an impact in Portugal from March, the most viewed film this year in Portugal remains “1917”, by Sam Mendes, which premiered in January and totalled 330,000 viewers.