The new Film Law faces a decisive phase in Congress where some of the rules that determine how Spanish films are financed, how much space European productions occupy in theaters, and how much time must pass between a film's premiere and its arrival on platforms may change. The project is still under processing and the amendments presented by the groups have opened several negotiations with very distant positions.
One of the changes with the greatest political weight comes from the PP, which proposes that the revenue obtained by films in previous years may be taken into account when granting certain public aids. The proposal does not establish that a film must reach a specific box office amount to receive funding nor does it automatically convert commercial success into a requirement, but it introduces a different criterion in the distribution of public funds. The popular amendment is included in the documentation registered in Congress.
The debate also affects the relationship between theaters and platforms. The project establishes a reference of 60 days for a work to be considered cinematic, while ERC proposes to extend that period to four months. The difference may have direct consequences on the exploitation calendar of films and on when viewers can find them on video-on-demand services.
Parliamentary Negotiation
The parliamentary negotiation will have to resolve these differences before the Film Law can complete its course. Congress rejected in June the amendments in their entirety from the PP and Vox and the text is now in the phase of working on the amendments to the articles, before the final vote in the Plenary and its subsequent passage through the Senate.
The result will ultimately determine how much weight box office has in access to aids, what quota theaters must reserve, and what margin platforms will have to incorporate premieres into their catalogs. None of those proposals are yet converted into definitive norms.