SIAE data: alarming flee from movie theatres

by Camillo de Marco

05/07/2012 - The public fled movie theatres in 2011. This is what reveals the data from the SIAE directory which documents the details of supply and demand, and have noted a decrease of 7.2% in ticket sales, of 9.78% in box office sales, of 11.58% in total public expenditure and of 9.59% in turnover.

“We have a strong Italian film presence at the box office. But I am under the impression that this is a systematic crisis, it is structural and not a contingent matter. However, I believe that with major funding we will be able to overcome this crisis”, comments Nicola Borrelli, chief executive for Cinema of Mibac. “What is changing is the way in which we are watching films in general. The phenomenon of piracy is not enough to justify this”.

The president of the Agis, Paolo Prottie, expressed his concern, “If we do not make structural interventions; laws and rules, targeted support and incentives for cinema, we are at risk that 2012 will sweep away the companies.”

(Translated from Italian)