There is an expression, very common in journalism manuals, to indicate what is news and what is not. For a man to receive a bite from a dog is a common and unremarkable thing. However, if the man bites the hound, it is considered an unexpected, unusual action and, therefore, newsworthy. Next year, in 2026, the Verdi cinemas in Barcelona will celebrate their first 100 years. In the era of platforms streamingthe survival of cinemas for a century is truly newsworthy. But even more so is the announcement made on Thursday by the CEO of A Contracorriente Films (owner of the Verdi cinemas), Adolfo Blanco: “A supermarket will not always be the one that closes a cinema. Next February the supermarket right next door will close. The premises are owned by the cinema, they have paid a good rent, they are good neighbours, but we will build two more theaters in that place. We will go from 1,550 to 1,750 seats”.
Blanco announced this on the occasion of the presentation of the events of the Verdi Centenary. Some cinemas located in via Verdi 32 and which were inaugurated, with the name Salón Ateneo Cine, on 11 February 1926, when the French film was screened The castaways of destiny. One hundred years later, the Greens are still in great shape. Last 2024, while the exhibition market dropped by 1.39%, the number of attendances at the Verdi grew by 30%, reaching 500,000 spectators.
During the presentation of the centenary events, both Blanco and the manager of the multiplex space, Paz Recolons, remembered on several occasions Enric Pérez, who was the person who chose for this theater to only screen films in the original version with subtitles and renovated the space to transform it into a multiplex.
The centenary events will begin in December and will last until February 11, 2027. Among the planned actions, the premiere of the documentary stands out Life is Verdi directed by Berta García Lacht and co-produced by Isabel Coixet. “It is not a typical documentary because Verdi’s story is responsible for the fact that there are many thousands of people whose lives have been changed by cinema,” Blanco stressed. The documentary aims to be not only a tribute to the seventh art but also to the community of spectators that surrounds Verdi. “It is a documentary with interviews, humor and images that demonstrate the importance of keeping the big screen alive”, underlines the delegate of A Contracorriente.
Also in February, a book commemorating the centenary will be published, published by Plataforma Editorial, with texts by Josep María Contel, Enrique Pérez and Paz Recolons. The work will bring together almost 300 images that will allow us to explore the history of cinema and the Gràcia neighborhood. It will have a preface by the Councilor for Culture, Xavier Marcé, and the epilogue was written by director Albert Serra.
The BCN Film Fest festival, which is based at the Verdi, will celebrate its tenth edition by dedicating its own section to him next year Essential elements to the centenary of cinema, recovering fundamental titles of its history. Furthermore, the 3Cat platform already has the collection 100 years of Verdiwith a selection of 58 titles that have marked, among them, the history of these cinemas The ninth door, a prophet, Goodnight and good luck, the name of the rose, My Beautiful Laundry Room, The Piano, Caramel or Paris Texas. “Platforms increase spectators. We would much prefer people to come to platforms and watch films rather than watch football,” defended the Verdi owner.
Between March and May next year there will be free screenings in the Libraries of Barcelona with titles such as The library of rejected books, The literary society and the potato peel pie, The publisher, The dreams of a writer in New York, The booksellers of New York, The illustrious citizen or The Padilla case.
“There will also be hundreds of free screenings for schoolchildren. We want the younger generation to love cinema. At 13, Don Quixote escapes you. Likewise, we cannot show these kids Ingmar Bergman’s films but we will look for others so that they fall in love with cinema,” concluded Blanco.
The history of the Greens begins on February 11, 1926 with the screening of the French film The castaways of destinywhich according to Blanco they have located and which they are restoring in order to be able to screen it next year, “even if it is not a classic”.
The historic Urgel cinema, one of the largest in Spain with 1,832 seats, closed its doors in May 2013. It was about to turn half a century when its owners closed their doors due to lack of profitability. In late 2019, a Bon Preu supermarket occupied the former movie theater space. Today, a Spar supermarket is still open next to the Verdi cinema. Work to transform its corridors into two new screening rooms will begin next February.
