The Christmas holidays have finally brought full theaters and the return of many people to the cinema. Clear signs of recovery for a sector, that of the film box office, which is experiencing difficult times. All revenue data for the year.
A very difficult year, which comes after two years that have been even more difficult due to the pandemic. The box office Italian cinema is in trouble, more than in other countries, but blue creatures have grafted onto a distant and fascinating planet new hopes of recovery.
The data released by Cinetel for 2022 speak of better results than those of the previous year (+81% box office / +80% attendance), but still below the threshold of the desired 50 million visitors, with a distance from the previous three-year period which is worth about half of the tickets. In the year that has just ended, €306,622,567 was collected for a number of cinema admissions equal to 44,535,891. Compared to the average for the period 2017-2019, this is a decrease of 48.2% of receipts and 51.6% of attendance. It remains significant share of the box office of Italian productions (including co-productions) that in 2022 it recorded a percentage of 19.7% of receipts and 21.2% of attendance. This is a share close to that of 2021 (21.5% of receipts, 22.5% of attendance) and in line with the average for the 2017-2019 period (20.6% of receipts and 21%% of attendance) .
Instead, it is respectively del 58.5% and 56.1% the share of takings and attendance of US cinema for a total of around €179.2 million and 24.9 million admissions. Also in this case it is a figure in % close to 2021 (57.9% of receipts, 56.8% of attendance) but lower than the average of the period 2017-2019 which recorded 62.6% of receipts and 61 .8% of total market attendance.
However, the Christmas season gave very positive results, with a deviation from the pre-covid years of 30%, which lead to relative optimism with respect to public attitudes. All thanks above all to the success of Avatar 2: the water way, which confirmed the expectations and perhaps even more, demonstrating that the public’s love for the big screen is still alive. But it must be nurtured and the product, the films, must have a clear appeal, be qualitative events, each in its own way. A discourse that also applies to national productions.
The analyzes and data disseminated available by Cinetel allow one reflection on “what actions to take and what tools to use for the cinematographic show to return to being an indispensable experience in people’s lives”.
Mario Lorini, President of the National Association of Cinema Owners (ANEC), declared: “The data presented today provide very important indications, they mark a reversal and a more decisive signal of the return of the public. All of this demonstrates that a great deal of work awaits us, a real challenge, perhaps decisive, in the year that has just begun in order to continue the recovery and the return to sustainable numbers. In this context, the role that Cinetel has undertaken and will develop at the service of the market is essential and strategic. In terms of the actions that the Association will carry out, together with the other components and in close relationship with the Ministry of Culture, the main priorities are: close on the issue of windowstabilize the tax credit on operating costs and on investment for cinemas, together with the incentives that will be placed on film launch expenses; work immediately on the use of resources for the promotion of Italian cinema, look for the best quality of the works destined for cinemas, an even more dynamic and well-composed distribution throughout the year, promotional campaigns and in particular the project on summer, focusing on the value and exclusive experience of a film on the big screen”.
Louis LonigroPresident of ANICA’s Union of Film Publishers and Distributors and Director of 01 Distribution, added: “After two years of absolute suffering, we can finally comment on positive numbers, even if still far from those generated by the market pre-pandemic. Now we will have to continue working together to recover the lost ground and bring back the box office theatrical at the heart of our industry. 2023 looks like a year full of both major international and national titles and the overall product proposal will be varied and will cover all market and audience segments; therefore, the expectations of all of us are very high and we expect a very strong growth in 2023 compared to 2022”.
Simone GialdiniPresident of CINETEL and Director General of ANEC, stated: “The film market in 2022 records a trend reversal compared to the previous one, returning to growth, albeit still far from the exceptional numbers of 2019, recording a gradual rapprochement of the public to the big screen. Unfortunately, the penalizations of the first months of the year, traditionally the most important from the point of view of the box office, and an autumn devoid of major international blockbusters weighed heavily. On the other hand, let’s look positively at a start of the year well above 2022 and at the strong price lists of the spring-summer months”.
Cinema in Italy is showing signs of awakening: 2022 data presented