Fewer and fewer people are going to the movies in Portugal. In 2025, movie theaters across the country welcomed approximately 10.9 million moviegoers, down 8.2% from the previous year and the lowest figure since 1996—excluding the pandemic years—according to data from the Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts cited by Renascença. But on Avenida 5 de Outubro, there’s one theater bucking the trend.
Cinema Nimas ended 2025 with 88,512 moviegoers, up 31.5% from the previous year, according to Mensagem de Lisboa. It doesn’t sell popcorn, doesn’t show commercials before the movies, and has only one theater. Judging by the numbers, the formula is working.
A theater with more than half a century of history
Nimas opened on October 10, 1975, at 42 Avenida 5 de Outubro, the same year that the Quarteto and the Cinebolso opened. Even the name has a story behind it: according to critic and director Lauro António, “nimas” was the colloquial term for movie theaters—especially the more down-to-earth ones, far from the big venues like the Tivoli or the Monumental.
In February 1993, programming was taken over by Medeia Filmes, owned by Paulo Branco—who is also the director of LEFFEST—and who still runs the theater today. Since then, the lineup has featured premieres, classic re-releases, and film series dedicated to great directors. The venue is zoned exclusively for use as a movie theater, Paulo Branco explained to Observador.
Why are audiences returning to Nimas?
Its revenue is based on a lineup that blends new releases with classic films. There are about five screenings a day, and each film is shown only once a day, António M. Costa of Medeia explained to *Mensagem de Lisboa*. According to him, Wim Wenders’ *Paris, Texas* and Luchino Visconti’s *The Leopard* fill the theater whenever they return to the lineup.
And it’s not just the generation that saw his films premiere. The João César Monteiro film series have been selling out and attracting a younger audience, including at the weekend screenings at 10:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. At a screening of Hitchcock’s *Psycho*, the average age didn’t exceed 25, Paulo Branco told *Observador*. Paulo Branco even believes that the theater has, perhaps, the best projection in the country.
Nimas is one of the theaters hosting LEFFEST, which runs through November 15. It’s there that the Lee Chang-dong retrospective is taking place, and films such as Fanny Ardant’s *She Looked Without Seeing* will be screened on November 7 at 9:30 p.m., followed by a conversation with the director.
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