The Portuguese government is taking action to stop the growing wave of cinema theatre closures across the country.
This week, Culture Minister Margarida Balseiro Lopes announced the creation of a working group to protect film exhibition in Portugal as audience numbers and box office takings plummet.
According to new data released by the Cinema and Audiovisual Institute (ICA), Portuguese cinemas lost 41.7% of their audience and 39.9% of their revenue in August compared with the same month last year. In other words, 962,600 tickets were sold this August, down from 1.6 million in 2024, and total box office revenue fell from €10.4 million to €6.24 million.
During a parliamentary hearing on the 2026 state budget, the minister said the “loss of cinema spaces is at the top of the government’s priorities,” responding to MPs’ concerns over the cultural desertification of many regions.
The task force will bring together the Cinema and Audiovisual Institute (ICA) and the Inspectorate-General for Cultural Activities (IGAC) to identify urgent measures to halt the growing number of closure requests, a trend that has accelerated through 2025.
According to IGAC data, several movie theatre operators, mainly in shopping centres, have filed requests to stop screening films, citing economic unviability. The most high-profile case came at Arrábida Shopping in Vila Nova de Gaia, where nine of 20 screens were shut down.
Similar cases have emerged in Viana do Castelo, Braga, and Beja, where the town’s only commercial cinema, Melius Beja, closed in August for inspection-related works and has yet to reopen.
Major operator NOS Cinemas has also closed theatres in MaiaShopping (Porto) and Tavira Grand Plaza (Faro), and suspended activity in six screens at Fórum Viseu. Rival operator Cineplace followed suit, shutting down venues in Algarve Shopping (Guia), Madeira Shopping (Funchal), and Rio Sul Shopping (Seixal).
Official figures from ICA show Portugal had 563 cinema screens in 2024, a number that dropped to 550 by September 2025 – a figure which still doesn’t include the latest closures. Lisbon and the North still account for the majority of active screens (172 and 166 respectively), while districts like Beja, Bragança, and Portalegre now lack regular, diverse film programming.
Minister Balseiro Lopes said the government aims to find “balanced solutions” between the industry’s financial sustainability and citizens’ right to cultural access, promising that concrete proposals will be presented in 2026 once the new inter-institutional group completes its work.
