The Italian government is poised to extend the exclusive 90-day theatrical window rule to all films released in Italy, not just those with Italian public funding or tax credits.
It follows the introduction in April of a blanket 90-day theatrical window for all films (Italian and non-Italian) that had received state backing. In doing so it overturned a relaxation of windowing rules brought in during the pandemic, though left international films that had not benefitted from state funding free to migrate to the platforms with no temporal constraints.
“It’s fundamental for the windowing to be extended to international films as well,” said Manuele Ilari, who heads Ueci, an association of Italian cinema theatres. “Cinemas only have a very small window within which they can take advantage of a film’s appeal, and just one film skipping a theatre erodes revenue and puts their very survival at risk.”
The highest-grossing film of the year to date in Italy is Disney’s Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness which has grossed $12.3m since opening in May but only stayed exclusively in cinemas for 48 days.
The culture ministry will draw up the new regulations, although the exact date is not yet clear, said a government source.
An Italian Senate motion on Wednesday also called for increased support for the struggling exhibition sector to help cinema operators offset rising operational costs including from energy fees, as well as the introduction of cinema vouchers or cards to permit the more disadvantaged to be able to afford the cinema, and further anti-piracy measures.
Italy’s parliament is made up of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies and comprises all the elected members. Separately, the government is made up of representatives of the members of the parties that have the most seats in parliament. Both parliament and the government have legislative powers and although. Senate motion only has advisory power, it is often considered by the government in drawing up policy.
“The political message that comes across from this senate vote is very clear,” said senator Francesco Verducci, who was involved in the drawing up of the motion. “We very much expect a ministerial decree to be rolled out now, effective immediately, encompassing these more rigid regulations and applying a minimum 90-day window for all films, as well as some of the other requested measures.”
Verducci, a member of the centre-left PD party, said he hoped the window would eventually be extended to as close to 180 days as possible.
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