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.
Read more on deadline.com