A year of recovery, but which discounts the effects of the pandemic. For Italian cinema, a 2022 comes to an end which gave satisfaction at the box office compared to 2021. But it is still a comparison with a year that saw cinemas closed until April. However, the pre-Covid data are far away, a mirage. The data are eloquent in this sense: in the year 2022 the Italian box office grossed 306,622,567 euros for a number of admissions in theaters equal to 44,535,891. Compared to 2021, when, as mentioned, cinemas reopened from 26 April, this is an increase in receipts and attendance of 81% and 79.6% respectively. However, the effects of the pandemic are still strong: compared to the average for the period 2017-2019, there is generally a drop of 48.2% in takings and 51.6% in attendance.
The Italian share
They are among the Cinetel data on cinemas in theaters in 2022 presented at Anica. The share of the box office of Italian productions (including co-productions) remains significant, which in 2022 recorded 19.7% of collections and 21.2% of admissions corresponding to collections of 60.3 million euros and 9.4 million attendance. 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).
The weight of US cinema in Italy
On the other hand, the share of receipts and admissions for US cinema is 58.5% and 56.1%, respectively, for a total of approximately 179.2 million euros and 24.9 million admissions. Also in this case it is a figure close to 2021 (57.9% of takings, 56.8% of attendance) but lower than the average of 2017-2019. In 2022, 498 new premiere films were distributed in theaters (+141 compared to 2021, -43 compared to the average for the 2017-2019 period) of which 251 were Italian productions or co-productions (+95 compared to 2021) for a 50.4% share of the total (43.7% in 2021).
The primacy of Avatar
Overall, 624 new titles were released in theaters, 186 more than in 2021. The first domestic collection as of 31 December 2022 (and the 13th overall) was “La stranezza” with 5.4 million euros (9% of the total Italian production). The first ever collection was “Avatar – la via dell’acqua” (27.5 million euros; 3.1 million admissions), followed by “Minions 2”, “Doctor Strange nel multiverse della madness”, “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Thor: Love and Thunder”.
Rutelli: Prudent optimism
“We greet the beginning of 2023 with a spirit of cautious optimism because we know that it will take time to return to the pre-pandemic levels that had been the best ever,” commented the president of Anica Francesco Rutelli in a video message. In any case, the attention “towards the cinema I feel has grown even in worlds that have long seemed antagonistic like the platforms” adds Rutelli. «I believe that the boost to be given to the use of cinemas depends on the strength of the products and the positive start of 2023 has demonstrated how attention to the plurality and originality of products can lead to a great new season of cinema in cinemas» . The wish is «to continue working together in an industry that is integrated and with an attention to the public that will never fade».