Spain's Independent Distributors Report Box Office Up 45% Through September

Box-office receipts for members of Adicine, Spain's association of independent film distributors, rose 45% through September. The figures, from the box-office tracker Rentrak, were presented at the Merci market in Valladolid, according to Variety.

Distributors are the companies that buy films, pay to promote them and book them into cinemas. Adicine has 20 member companies, and together they make up the vast majority of Spain's independent distribution sector.

A large part of the rise has a clear source. Elastica Films released La Bola Negra on 25 September, and it became a blockbuster in Spanish cinemas. On 14 October, Screen Daily reported that the film had crossed €25 million in Spain. Its third weekend brought in $5.56 million (€4.96 million), and its total gross stood at $31.3 million.

The wider Spanish market also grew. Total box office rose 35% in the first nine months of 2026, to $487 million (€435 million), according to Rentrak figures reported by Screen Daily on 30 October. That total covers all films in Spain, not only those from independent distributors.

Merci, now in its sixth edition, ran from 28 to 30 October at the Broadway cinemas in Valladolid. The Valladolid Film Festival organises it, and Adicine co-organises it. At Merci, Spanish distributors present their upcoming international titles to cinema operators, television networks and streaming platforms, which decide what reaches their screens.

This year's edition was set to showcase 26 upcoming titles. Organisers say more buyers from broadcasters and streaming platforms are attending, including executives with the authority to acquire films. That is the step that turns a screening into a sale.

The timing matters for the calendar. A film shown at a market like Merci can take a year or more to reach Spanish audiences, so this autumn's buyers are shaping what viewers will see in later seasons. For now, the numbers show a strong run for independent releases, and the next test is whether the momentum holds into the new year.