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BOX OFFICE Italy

The divine comedies are raking it in

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With Avatar a faraway memory, this year’s battle for the top box office spot is a local one. Among comedies that are making audiences laugh a lot and even think some; films that reflect a reality that in and of itself is far from hilarious.

Grossing €5,400,000, Giulio Manfredonia’s Whateverly [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
film profile
]
is the most seen title of the weekend (see article). The per-screen average of the film starring Antonio Albanese was nearly €10,000, from over 800,000 admissions. The numbers, according to distributor 01, were spread out evenly in urban and rural areas, across the entire country.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

Producer Domenico Procacci (Fandango), who this Saturday received the Bif&st di Bari il Premio Fellini 8 ½ for his career, said: "Whatelverly smartly depicts that which our country is sometimes, and which is must stop being. Giulio Manfredonia had made a high quality comedy and I’m happy that audiences’ appreciation comes just a few days after the film was invited to the Berlinale, which is considered one of the most prestigious festivals in the world".

In the meantime, the race for the box office record continues for comedian Checco Zalone. Over the weekend, Gennaro Nunziante’s Che bella giornata [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, (see news), took in over €4.3m, or 38.6% of the overall box office (according to Cinetel data), to overtake Welcome to the South [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
and draw ever closer to Italy’s best ever box office champion, Roberto Benigni’s Life is Beautiful (see news).

Che bella giornata leads a handful of Italian titles that this year have outperformed the Hollywood competition, as can be seen by the Cinetel charts of 2010-11:

1. Che bella giornata - €38.6m
2. Benvenuti al sud - €29.8m
3. La Banda dei Babbi Natale [+see also:
trailer
Interview Angela Finocchiaro [IT]
Interview Antonia Liskova [IT]
Interview Lucia Ocone [IT]
film profile
]
- €21.4m
4. Natale in Sudafrica [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
–18.6m
5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
-17.6m
6. Shrek Forever After - 17m
7. Maschi contro femmine [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
film profile
]
- €13.6m
8. Despicable Me - €12.5
9. The Tourist [+see also:
trailer
making of
film profile
]
- €11.1m
10. Inception - €10.7m

Italian arthouse films are also giving Hollywood titles a run for their money, and some have done so well in theatres as to make local distributors a little braver in their releasing strategies. The best performing Italian films at the 2010-11 Cinentel box office are so far:

1. Che bella giornata - €38.6m
2. Benvenuti al sud - €29.8m
3. La Banda dei Babbi Natale - €21.4m
4. Natale in Sud Africa - €18.6m
5. Maschi contro femmine - €13.6m
6. A Natale mi sposo [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
- €8.2m
7. Whateverly - €5.3m
8. The Solitude of Prime Numbers [+see also:
trailer
interview: Luca Marinelli
film profile
]
- €3.4m
9. Immaturi [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- €3.3m
10. La bellezza del somaro [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- €3.3m
11. The Woman of My Dreams [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- €2.8m
12. Another World [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- €2.5m
13. Figli delle stelle [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- €1.4m
14. A Quiet Life [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Claudio Cupellini
film profile
]
- €1.3m
15. We Believed [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mario Martone
interview: Mario Martone
film profile
]
- €1.3m
16. Vallanzasca [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
- €986,000.
17. Gorbaciof [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Stefano Incerti
film profile
]
- €608,000.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

(Translated from Italian)

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