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A year of important growth, which still does not bring cinema to pre-Covid levels, compared to which – considering the average for the 2017-2019 period – 16.3% of takings and 23.2% of attendance are missing. But the 61.6% increase in takings and 58.6% in attendance compared to 2022 push operators to be optimistic. Aware of the challenge, but confident in a further recovery in 2024. All with an Italian cinema that regained ground in 2023, rising (and significantly) above the 20% share: 24.3% to be precise with 120.7 million takings (doubled compared to 2022 although still decreasing 1.2% compared).
The recovery compared to pre-Covid
These are the Cinetel data presented in Rome for 2023. Last year the Italian box office grossed 495.7 million euros for a number of theater attendances equal to 70.6 million tickets sold. «Overall, the period, in its first year of return to post-pandemic normality – reports Cinetel – recorded a recovery of more than thirty points in percentage compared to the average of 2017-2019: as of 31 December 2022 the negative difference was 48 .2% of takings and 51.6% of attendance.”
The growth of the Italian share
As for Italian cinema, the share is higher than that of 2022 (19.7% of takings, 21.2% of admissions), but also than the average for the period 2017-2019 (20.6% of takings and 21% of admissions ) and close to that of the decade 2010-2019 (26.2% takings, 27.1% attendance). For this positive figure for Italian cinema, it must above all thank the exploit of “There’s Still Tomorrow” by Paola Cortellesi: 1st overall takings of 2023 with a box office of almost 33 million euros. Following at the box office among the Italian films, although well spaced, there are: “Me against you the film – Jungle Mission” (4.8 million) in 25th place; “Three of them” (4.78 million) in 26th place; “Santocielo” (4.6 million) in 27th place and again “Me against you the film – Holidays in Transylvania” (4.59 million) in 28th place.
“There’s Still Tomorrow” king of the box office, Paola Cortellesi beats Barbie
Summer boom
«It is worth underlining – Cinetel continues – the fundamental recovery in the summer season, traditionally considered the weakest from the point of view of results: from May to August the period continuously recorded values higher than the three-year period 2017-2019 allowing the second quarter to mark the best result ever at the box office in terms of takings. The releases of important titles were decisive, every week, even in the months of July and August during which, among others, “Barbie” (2nd box office of the year) and “Oppenheimer” (3rd box office of the year) were distributed )”. As for the trend during the year, the impact of the summer months was positive, driven by Cinema Revolution.
Increase in the female audience
The past twelve months have been marked by the return of female audiences to the cinema. This is what the data from “CinExpert” says, the weekly monitoring commissioned by Cinetel on the socio-demographic characteristics of the audience in cinemas. 2023 was characterized in particular by the growth of women (+77% compared to 2022) and age groups higher (50-59 year olds, +92%; 60+ years old, +81%). These two classes, in 2022, were the ones that had struggled the most to return to theaters since the reopening of cinemas.