07/02/2011

Italian cinema reached record highs at the box office in 2010 and especially in January of this year.

According to data released by ANICA at a press conference, last year’s overall box office revenue rose 17.9% over 2009 (to reach €734.2m), with the help of 3D, while admissions rose 11% in the same period, to reach a total 109.9 million.

The market share of Italian films reflects the same positive figures of 2008 – 27.3% (5% over 2009) – and with co-productions increases to 29.3%. In January 2011, this market share skyrocketed to a record-breaking 65%, thanks to Che bella giornata [+see also:
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"This share will obviously drop,” says Riccardo Tozzi, president of producers at ANICA, "but it is certainly on the rise compared to 2010, so much that it could easily overtake France and probably top global charts, excluding the US".

All this enthusiasm is justified by the box office results of recent weeks. “2010 began well with Avatar but this year is going even better thanks to Che bella giornata”, says ANICA president Paolo Ferrari. “We’re at the same breaking point we saw years ago in television fiction: audiences are choosing Italian product,” adds Tozzi. "We must continue investing in comedies and the second branch of Italian cinema, i.e., arthouse films".

The problem for arthouse cinema, however, remains the €46m of the FUS (Entertainment Industry Fund) that will go to cinema in general, which is approximately half of what it was the previous year. And the uncertain renewal of the tax credit that, as both Ferrari and Tozzi underscored, was crucial to the hike in private investment.

Private investment in 2010 increased over 2009, from €258m to €277m (+7.3%), as public investment in production continued to drop (to €35.4, compared to €38m in 2009 and €70.9m in 2008), for a total of €312.2m. Average investment per 100% Italian productions remains stable in comparison to 2009, (€2.2m).

After a drop in 2009, in 2010 the number of films produced rose to 141 titles (including co-productions), which is ten more than in 2009 yet 13 less than in 2008. The number of 100% Italian productions rose (114 in 2010, compared to 97 in 2009), while co-productions fell (27 compared to 34 in 2009), a factor that could influence foreign distribution.

To download the PDF of the report, click here.

(Translated from Italian)