L’anello forte. Il sistema dell’esercizio in Italia: dati, prospettive, approcci metodologici

Movie-theaters have long been the first market and the main test for the film distribution policies. An analysis of the distribution strategies and their effectiveness cannot, therefore, be separated from the knowledge of the cinemas chain. It is all the more true in Italy, where, with few exceptions and even today, the exhibition is presented as a "non-integrated" segment of the film industry supply chain and where the cinemas circuits continue to be a residual share of the exhibition system as well. This essay starts from this premise to provide an overview of the Italian exhibition system, with a focus on the period from 1949 to 2003, delimited by two key legislative actions: the Andreotti’s Law (958/1949) and the Urbani’s Decree (Legislative Decree 128/2004). The analysis will develop through three levels: at the stage of scenario, in order to define dimensions and axes of the cinemas chain; at the stage of the processes, in order to grasp some of the logics that govern the evolution of the exhibition system in Italy; and, at the last, at the stage of the cases, whit a focus on two exemplary epiphenomena of the Italian movie-theaters system and history