The “CINEMA REVOLUTION”: The Numbers of 2024 Edition panel concluded today, 17 October, in Rome during the 10th edition of the MIA | Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo.
During the event, data were presented on Cinema Revolution, the campaign strongly supported by the Ministry of Culture with the aim of boosting admissions to Italian cinemas and which, in its second edition, is confirmed as a fundamental tool through which to strengthen the Italian cinema and audiovisual industry.
The 2024 edition, promoted with the support of Cinecittà, was held between 9 June and 19 September.
Presenting the data in Room 5 of the Barberini Cinema were the Undersecretary for Culture Lucia Borgonzoni, the Director of the General Directorate for Cinema and Audiovisual of the Ministry of Culture Nicola Borrelli, Cinetel President Simone Gialdini and Cinecittà President Chiara Sbarigia.
It was Chiara Sbarigia who opened the panel, illustrating to the audience the result of the initiative that has engaged Cinecittà from the very beginning: ‘Cinema Revolution gave unhoped-for results, which reassured the exhibitors who opened their cinemas. A gamble that finally paid off,’ he added, ’We are confident that things can only get better. The cinema data presented here at MIA during the sixth report compiled by APA are very reassuring and give the idea of a sector that if it moves in unison can still move forward’.
Lucia Borgonzoni was also confident, stating: ‘We started out by trying to match last year’s figures and we have succeeded. Cinema Revolution is a set of initiatives that manage to work: we have the great international titles, European and Italian films, and the great boost given by the theatres whose summer opening was not to be taken for granted’. The Undersecretary then relaunched with respect to future objectives: ‘For next year we will put money back, the idea of focusing on theatres has worked. There is room to grow further, we must aim to surpass ourselves, the transition now is to have more Italian products and have even more cinemas open’.
Simone Gialdini, President of Cinetel, commenting on the results, adds an observation on the seasonality of the initiative: ‘We have regained a previously insignificant summer period. Between June and September 2024 we count almost 2 million admissions in cinemas. We have a strong growth in the 3-14 and 15-24 brackets’ and on the analysis of the audience, the president added: “There are many theatres that if they were open would allow us to recover various market shares”.
The audience was also at the centre of Nicola Borrelli’s speech, who, from an institutional point of view, emphasised: ‘Cinema Revolution is the most important part of public policy that supports the sector and takes its cue not only from the supply of cinema, but above all from the demand, from the audience that goes to the cinema and the results’. On the centrality of the audience, he went on to say: ‘Putting the audience at the centre of attention is the winning idea, and it must become the point of view of all operators, the right strategies must be put in place to involve them’ and he closed with a warning: ‘the era in which you throw a film in the theatre and wait is over’.
