Arrábida Shopping Mall, in Vila Nova de Gaia, has been authorised to close cinemas in nine of the mall's 20 screens for reasons of "economic viability," a source from the General Inspectorate of Cultural Activities (IGAC) told Lusa.

Arrábida Shopping Mall is home to the country's largest cinema complex, with twenty screens. However, the shopping centre owners requested the closure of nine screens this year, leaving the remaining eleven open.

The request, which has already been authorised by the Ministry of Culture, "is based on the fact that the current number of movie theatres is not economically viable, considering the number of moviegoers and commercial cinema offerings, and their current operation is not justified, given such a disproportionate supply compared to demand," says IGAC.

This multiplex in Gaia, with over 4,000 seats, is managed by UCI Cinemas, the third-largest cinema exhibitor in Portugal by number of theatres. UCI Cinemas did not respond to Lusa's request for clarification regarding a possible plan and timetable for remodelling the theatres.

Contacted by Lusa, the Sonae Sierra business group, which owns Arrábida Shopping and other shopping centres in the country with cinemas, also did not provide details about a possible remodelling of the theatres.

"We continuously evaluate the progress of all our assets and make decisions tailored to the specific needs of each centre. This way, we ensure the best performance in each context and ensure an offering that aims to provide the best experience for visitors and enhance their choices," Sonae Sierra said in a response to Lusa.

According to the IGAC, this year, requests were also made to decommission other movie theatres in shopping centres in Viana do Castelo and Braga, which are owned by Sonae Sierra.

In Viana do Castelo, the Ministry of Culture authorized the decommissioning of four theatres at Estação Viana Shopping, which are operated by the Cineplace exhibitor.

Regarding these theatres, in August, an official source at Sonae Sierra told Lusa that "for the time being" they would maintain their usual operations, but admitted that "they are constantly analysing different opportunities within the management of their assets."

When questioned by Lusa, Cineplace said the closure was "unfounded" and is even "developing plans to invest in modernizing the Viana do Castelo cinema."

In Braga, at the Nova Arcada shopping mall, a request was made "to allocate six of the 12 theatres" to a different activity, which are also managed by Cineplace. However, the process "is under investigation," said a source at IGAC.

According to current law (Decree-Law 23/2014), the demolition of movie theatres, or their allocation to activities other than cinema, requires authorization from the government's Ministry of Culture. Authorization is issued by the Ministry of Culture, based on opinions from IGAC.

Falling numbers

According to the Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual (ICA), which collects statistical data on film exhibition, the twenty theaters at Arrábida Shopping Mall totalled 460,533 spectators in 2024, with an average of 19 people per session.

In 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic, those twenty movie theatres welcomed 830,656 spectators, almost double the 2024 figures. And we have to go back to 2011 to see an audience exceeding one million spectators (1,048,771 admissions) at that multiplex.

Nationally, the commercial exhibition network, with regular daily screenings provided by private operators, is led by Nos Lusomundo Cinemas, with 218 theatres, followed by Cineplace (67 theatres) and UCI Cinemas (42 theatres).