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An oft-heard lament on the part of international distribution is that Italy is impossible to program in the summer. In 2019, there was an effort on the part of the studios and the local industry to steer the season in a different direction resulting in record results, but the pandemic halted momentum.
At the end of 2022, one of the major areas of concern from studio executives we spoke with was indeed Italy. The market was down about 50% on the pre-pandemic average. Among reasons cited for its woes were a lack of big local releases, poor infrastructure and a dearth of PLFs. “Oh, my God, Italy!,” exclaimed one international distribution honcho at the time.
Now, a plan is afoot to jump-start summer again, with the Culture Ministry earmarking €20 million ($22M) as part of a promotional campaign to bring audiences back to the cinemas. The ministry’s Undersecretary of State, Lucia Borgonzoni, also recently visited Los Angeles with the aim of building new opportunities for economic and cultural development, and met with a number of studios. The majors, we hear, are making a “coordinated effort to date movies in the summer.” Several high-profile films are going day-and-date in June and July including Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Barbie, The Flash, Ruby Gillman and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
That’s a shift from previous pre-pandemic years. But why is Italy so historically difficult to program? One reason, we’re told, is that roughly 30% of cinemas are either single- or double-screens and a lack of product has largely kept those shuttered during the warmer months. Momentum plays a key role and there’s been what a source calls a sort of “apathy” in summer, leaving June to mid-August “dead.”
Locally, Borgonzoni tells Deadline, a plan has been activated “aimed at bringing audiences back to cinemas.” To do so, the Culture Ministry “involved all the operators of the Italian film system” and allocated a budget of €20M.
In addition to being invested in communication and promotional activity, the funds will be used to cover part of the cost of cinema tickets. From June 16-September 16, admits for Italian and European films will be reduced by about half to €3.50 ($3.85). The difference will be covered by the ministry.
Further, immediately before and immediately after the end of the 2023 summer campaign there will be two editions of Cinema in Festa (June 11-15 and September 17-21). Borgonzoni is confident there will be “many Italian and foreign films” in theaters.
Regarding Hollywood, Borgonzoni says, “I am sure we will succeed because we have done a team effort, starting well in advance, and then because we have a bigger budget than in 2019. Certainly, American titles, which are always highly anticipated and appreciated in our country, will be fundamental for the restart of the theaters.”
Italy has seen some uplift in the early part of the year. Figures provided by Gower Street show the first quarter at €108.6M ($119.7M) vs €68.1M ($75M) in 2022, so just shy of a 59.5% year-on-year gain.
Says Borgonzoni, “Italian cinemas have suffered greatly from the pandemic. The prolonged use of masks in the cinemas and the fear of contagion drove audiences away, but we are on the upswing. In the first quarter of this year, admissions almost doubled compared to the same period last year… We trust in the campaign for next summer to ensure that a very clear awareness resurfaces in all its strength: the cinema gives unique experiences. It is all well and good to watch certain audiovisual products on other channels, but let us not forget the emotions that only the cinema can give.”
Speaking of other channels, there’s been some chatter regarding a change to the local media chronology with a longer window between theatrical releases and streaming. Borgonzoni tells us, “Recently, the Regional Administrative Court of Lazio upheld an appeal filed by some exhibitors and ruled to restore the windows from the current 90 to 105 days.” However, she notes, this is only for Italian films.