DVD v. theatres
Despite some good news, figures confirm that Italian cinema needs attention and support. The 'Report 2000-2004' on the Italian film industry presented today by the Audiovisual Observatory of the Cinecittà Holding, presents the public with 'a clear and accurate picture of the state of affairs,' as Alessandro Usai, General Director, said. This white paper is unprecedented in Italy; it is the first time data from official sources such as the SIAE, the Cinema section of the Ministry of Culture, Univideo, Nielsen Agb, Cinetel and Mediasalles have been compiled and compared. This explains why so many operators attended the presentation and why the content of the report was so hotly debated.
What is most striking here is the importance taken by the homevideo market since DVD appeared. In 2004, DVD earned over 900 million euros, much more than cinema theatres (660 million in 2004).
The number of screens rose by 27% in five years, but this rise was not followed by a proportional rise in terms of tickets sold —their number actually diminished by 12%. Fewer new films are released.
American movies still control most screens, but there are 8.33% less of them, while more French, German, and Spanish films are distributed every year. Same for Italian films which gained 9.11% despite a slight pause in 2004.
Every year, 130 Italian films, including 41 co-productions, are produced. Co-productions rose to 82% of the average budget of a film, but the Italian participation tends to be more limited (maximum of 55% of the total budget). A third of the co-productions involve France. The other favourite partners are Spain, Great-Britain, and Germany.
There are about forty active distributors, but over 55% of the gains go to only 4 of them.
Finally, the TV and cinema report describes a critical situation: from 2000 to 2004, the number of new films broadcast on TV was constantly diminishing. Only 3% of the films broadcast on TV are new.
The report will become annual, starting In Spring 2006. It will include a study on pay-TV and online cinema.
(Translated from Italian)
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