09/01/2003

Italian films won this year’s Christmas attendance battle. Best performer both for the holidays and indeed the whole of 2002 was Neri Parenti’s Natale sul Nilo (Christmas on the Nile), with a box office take of Euros27.5 million in just two weeks on general release. The zany comedy beat Roberto Benigni’s Pinocchio, released on 11 October, comedy trio Aldo, Giovanni & Giacomo’s The Legend of Al, John & Jack, that nonetheless managed a hefty Euros22.199m over three weeks.
Sociological analysis and anxiety aside (Christmas on the Nile was called “vulgar”) each of these three titles has made a significant contribution to raising the profile of Italian cinema.
Third in the Christmas box office parade is Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, followed by My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding. Also in the top ten are Gurinder Chadha’s Bend it Like Beckham, the tenth most-seen film in Italy, with a reported box office take of Euros1.5m.

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