In Milan, cinemas close to become shopping malls

Milan has a problem with cinema. The city's historic theaters are progressively closing down to make way for supermarkets, gyms, hotels, and shops. According to Corriere della Sera, while in the 1980s Milan had nearly fifty cinemas just in the city center, today there are only eight left. This drastic change is evident in the fate of historic venues: in place of the Nuovo Arti on Via Mascagni now stands the Soho House club; in place of the Maestoso cinema on Corso Lodi, there is now a Virgin gym; and on the ruins of the Adriano, a residential tower has been built. Even the Apollo cinema has made way for an Apple Store, while the famous and historic Odeon, inaugurated in 1929, was acquired by Rinascente in 2023. The Plinius on Viale Abruzzi, a historic theater where Totò made his first appearance in a northern city and later converted into a multiplex in 1967, was partially converted into a supermarket after renovations in July 2024. However, as we will see, the transformation of cinema spaces is not only due to changing consumer habits.

Milanese cinemas owe part of their downfall to the city's building regulations. As explained by Corriere, «in Milan, it has always been possible to change the intended use of buildings occupied by cinemas,» and in recent years, over a hundred theaters have been repurposed, «60% of them into shops, restaurants, clubs, or event spaces.» Barbara Coppetti, a researcher at the Polytechnic University in Architectural and Urban Composition, also explained to the newspaper why many cinemas remain closed for several years before being renovated, relaunched, or replaced: apparently, transforming these spaces is not easy. The expert states that «the buildings have internal structures that are not very flexible.» In Rome, on the other hand, the situation has so far been different due to regulatory protections, but now a regional law is under discussion that, if approved, would make it easier to change the use of closed theaters. According to a text reported by Sole 24 Ore, for «cinema halls and multifunctional centers closed or abandoned as of December 31, 2023, direct interventions for renovation or demolition and reconstruction would be permitted after the tenth year from the closure or abandonment date, [...] introducing changes in intended use for complete functional reconversion.» This proposal has sparked an appeal from numerous celebrities in the entertainment industry – including Martin Scorsese, Paolo Sorrentino, Matteo Garrone, Marco Bellocchio, Paolo Genovese, Paola Cortellesi, Anna Ferzetti, Valerio Mastandrea, and Francesco De Gregori – who expressed a «strong opposition to the indiscriminate acquisition of theaters, even if abandoned, by groups whose goal is commercial reconversion.»

Paradoxically, cinema in Italy appears to be in good health. Cinetel data for 2024 shows a revenue exceeding 493 million euros, with a total of 69,709,089 cinema admissions, «a result in line with the previous year (-0.4% in revenue; -1.3% in admissions).» Even in terms of screen activation, 2024 was a good year: 1,305 cinemas and 3,532 screens in total, a «higher number than in 2023, both in terms of surveyed complexes (+73) and screens (+47).» So why are so many cinemas closing in Milan, and perhaps soon in Rome, to become commercial spaces? The answer might lie in the rise of streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, or Disney+, which allow viewers to save on ticket costs and offer a wide range of content directly at home. Given the post-Covid behavioral shift, more and more people have embraced video on demand. According to data from the search engine Justwatch, «[t]he preferred platform for video on demand lovers in Italy is Netflix, which has over 277.6 million subscribers worldwide. In Italy, the last official communication in May 2022 reported roughly 5 million subscriptions.» Whether due to the rise of streaming services or the economic and logistical difficulties of maintaining large cinema structures, it is undeniable that each closure represents a loss for culture and society. It will be up to individual cities to determine how (and when) to start supporting cinemas and their audiences.