After 12 years operating in the Algarve, SBC Cinemas at the Forum Algarve shopping centre in Faro closed down on Sunday, July 6, allegedly following “several months of unpaid rent”.
In a short official statement, SBC International Cinemas thanked all its “clients and employees” who supported the company for the 12 years the cinema was open in Faro, saying “we share their sorrow”.
It doesn’t, however, confirm the reasons behind the decision that led British owning company Vue International to shut down the multiplex, simply saying “the cinema is no longer part of our long-term plans”.
With the closure of the Forum Algarve cinema hall, which included nine theatres and employed 30 staff members – who are now unemployed – Faro loses its only cinemas. The nearest cinema screens can be found in Olhão at the Ria Shopping Centre.
The crisis now affecting SBC Cinemas follows a series of cinema closures in Portugal in 2012 and 2013 when the Socorama-Castello Lopes film distributor closed down dozens of theatres.
The majority, however, were later reopened by Brazilian group Orient, under the name of Cineplace, including Portimão and Guia.
It is yet unknown what plans are in place for the space now left vacant by SBC Cinemas at the Faro shopping centre.
According to recent data, the number of moviegoers in Portugal has dropped nearly 25% since 2011.
Faro’s only cinemas, SBC, closes doors
