From supermarket to movie theater: the historic Barcelona cinema that goes backwards and expands its cinemas

The news, confirmed by the local newspaper L’Independent de Gràcia, is a real “coup” in the Barcelona cultural scene. In order to grow, the Verdi have “beaten” their neighbor, the supermarket occupying adjacent premises, which will not renew its lease that expires in January. So, from the shelves of commodities to the seats and the darkness of the theater: the space, which until now generated good income for the property, will be transformed to accommodate moviegoers.

While lifelong cinemas are closing down or, at best, turning into hamburger joints, the Verdi, one of the most beautiful cinemas in the world, is becoming the first neighborhood cinema, outside of shopping malls, to grow in decades.

A century of V.O. and resistance

The head of Cinemes Verdi, Paz Recolons, explained that the decision to expand was driven by the centenary milestone. The expansion will raise the complex’s capacity to 1,750 seats, and if all goes according to plan, work will begin in February 2026 and the new theaters will be ready for the start of the next season, in October.

This is not the first time the Verdi has demonstrated its ability to adapt. Inaugurated in 1926 as the Ateneo Cine Hall, they went on to become the Cinema Trébol in the 1930s before adopting their current name. In the decades that followed, they became a benchmark for independent cinema and original subtitled version (O.S.V.S.E.), a vision that, as Adolfo Blanco (CEO of A Contracorriente, owner of the cinemas) pointed out, is due in large part to Enric Pérez, the driving force behind this transformation to multiplexes and auteur cinema.

In fact, the numbers speak for themselves in this success story: the cinemas welcomed half a million spectators in 2025, an increase of 30% over the previous year, defying the general downturn in attendance.

How Cinemes Verdi will celebrate the expansion of its cinemas

The centenary celebration will be an array of events to pay tribute to this corner of Gràcia. One of the highlights is the screening, on February 10, of the documentary La vida és Verdi, a co-production directed by Berta García Lacht and produced by Isabel Coixet herself. The film, which “vindicates the importance of keeping the big screen alive”, will include testimonials from figures such as Richard Gere, Albert Serra and J.A. Bayona.

A book on the history of the theater will also be presented, with texts by Josep Maria Contel, Paz Recolons and Enric Pérez, and the Jaume Fuster Library will host a photographic exhibition (from April 27 to May 31) and will be the starting point for a series of free screenings in the city’s public libraries, which will begin on March 15 with the screening of The Bookshop, with the presence of Isabel Coixet.

On the other hand, the tenth edition of the BCN Film Fest will dedicate its ‘must-see’ section to the centenary of the Verdi, recovering titles that have marked its history and the 3Cat platform has already incorporated the collection “100 anys dels Verdi” with 58 fundamental titles in the history of cinemas.