Portuguese Cinemas Sold Fewer Tickets in September but Took More Money, With a Saint Anthony Comedy Leading the Box Office
Admissions fell 3.7 percent to 748,000 while takings rose 3.8 percent to 5.4 million euros. Over nine months, audiences are up almost 10 percent and receipts by more than a fifth.
Portuguese cinemas sold fewer tickets in September than a year earlier but took more money, according to figures from the Instituto do Cinema e do Audiovisual (ICA), the public film institute, reported by Lusa on Thursday. Admissions fell 3.7 percent to 748,000, while box office takings rose 3.8 percent to 5.4 million euros, up from 5.2 million in September 2025.
The month was carried by a home-grown comedy. "Santo António: O Casamenteiro de Lisboa", directed by Ruben Alves, drew close to 151,000 spectators and more than one million euros in takings, making it the most-watched Portuguese film of the year so far.
A strong year overall
September's dip does not change the direction of 2026. From January to September, cinemas recorded 9.3 million admissions, 9.8 percent more than the 8.4 million in the same months of 2025. Box office receipts over the nine months reached 64.8 million euros, more than 20 percent above last year.
The most-watched film of the year is "Homem-Aranha: Um Novo Dia", the latest Spider-Man film, with 885,000 spectators, followed by Christopher Nolan's "A Odisseia" (The Odyssey) with 774,000. "Santo António", a comedy built around Lisbon's patron saint and his reputation as a matchmaker, sits well behind those two but ahead of every other Portuguese release this year.
The ICA figures do not explain why takings rose while attendance fell. Two things can produce that pattern: higher average ticket prices, or a larger share of tickets sold for premium formats and full-price screenings rather than discounted sessions. The institute's monthly data, as reported, do not separate the two.
What the numbers mean for audiences
For anyone who goes to the cinema in Portugal, the takeaway is that the average ticket is costing more. Dividing September's takings by admissions gives roughly 7.20 euros per ticket, against about 6.70 euros a year earlier, though that is a simple average across every type of session and cinema in the country.
Most cinemas in Portugal show foreign films in their original language with Portuguese subtitles, which makes them easy to follow for English speakers; children's and family films are usually dubbed. Prices and discounts are set by each cinema, so it is worth checking a cinema's own page before buying.
A busy week for culture
Away from the multiplexes, Lisbon's cultural scene has had a turbulent week: culture workers have been called out on strike on 17 October, and the government has promised Brussels it will rewrite the rules on free museum days.
