Despite Pandemic Italians Filmmakers Are on a Roll
13.02.2022 - 21:07
/ variety.com
Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentIn spite of a disastrous box office situation, the Italian film industry is staying buoyant thanks to increased exports, a friendly rapport with streaming giants and support from the government of Prime Minister Mario Draghi that is pumping money into a revamp of Rome’s Cinecittà Studios.“Production never stopped and ailing movie theaters have been able to get subsidies,” says Francesco Rutelli, the former Rome mayor who heads Italy’s motion picture association, Anica. The org recently broadened its member base to include executives from Amazon Prime Video, Disney and ViacomCBS, after Netflix had joined.This move — which is unique in Europe — indicates the level of friendly dialogue between film producers and streaming platforms in Italy, best encapsulated by Paolo Sorrentino’s “The Hand of God,” Italy’s international Oscar nominee.
Sorrentino’s Netflix original film was released theatrically in November across the country before dropping on the platform in mid-December; it continues to play in Italy’s movie theaters. While “Hand of God” has performed well in Italian cinemas — though exactly how well is not known, since Netflix does not reveal box office figures — Italy’s overall 2021 box office picture is bleak.
Receipts totaled €170 million ($192 million) in grosses for the year while admissions were at 25 million, way below the 41 million movie tickets sold in 2021 in Spain, where the pandemic has not been as much of a deterrent to cinemagoing.Still, the country’s exhibitors and distributors have not lost hope that Italians will flock back to movie theaters in decent numbers, once the health crisis subsides. And film producers are managing to keep busy.Below is a compendium
.
The website popstar.one is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can
send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.