It ends with Cine Tenis: the last cinema in Garrucha closes

Garrucha’s last remaining cinema, Terraza Cine Tenis, closed after nearly 80 years.

On Monday night, September 2, the final credits rolled, marking the end of an era for the summer cinema.

Once a popular venue that drew nearly a thousand viewers for films like Indiana Jones, only 150 attended the final screening.

The property, which had been in operation since 1985, will soon be demolished for a supermarket parking lot.

Diego Rodriguez, who has run the cinema since 2014, chose It Ends With Us as the final film, starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni; “I chose it intentionally; we haven’t even shown it in Vera, only here in Garrucha,” explains Diego Rodríguez.

Rodriguez attributes the closure to a lack of blockbusters, the Euro Cup, and the Olympic Games, which overshadowed the cinema and made 2024 a particularly difficult year for business, “the worst after the pandemic.”

Despite its cultural significance, the cinema’s profits came primarily from food sales, not ticket prices.

Residents and tourists lament the loss, with some appealing to local politicians to intervene, but the future remains uncertain. One loyal cinephile stated, “I have been spending my summers in Garrucha for forty years and I came every year”.

Garrucha once had four cinemas, now, none remain. Rodriguez reflects, “It’s a shame… Our intention was to continue.”

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