Articles
The International Circulation of ‘Le Quattro Volte’
Presented in competition at the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs of the 63rd Cannes Film Festival, where it was awarded the Europa Cinema Label Award, Le quattro volte (2010) is the second feature film by the Italian writer-director Michelangelo Frammartino.
The movie was the result of a co-production between Italy, Germany and Switzerland, involving as main partners the Italian Invisibile Film and Vivo Film, the German Essential Filmproduktion GmbH and the Swiss Ventura Film. It was also developed with the support of cultural institution such as MiBAC, Eurimages, Calabria Film Commission and Calabria Region. Several other production companies and institutions took part in the production of the movie, including Istituto Luce Cinecittà, RSI – Radiotelevisione svizzera and Arte.
After its première at Cannes, Le Quattro volte was presented in many international festivals, and it gained theatrical release in Italy – which is rather uncommon for a documentary feature. Even though the movie didn’t perform well at the Italian box office, it earned several prestigious awards and nominations, including the Grand Prix at Annecy Italian Cinema Fest, the Special Nastro d’argento by the Italian Nation Syndicate of Film Journalists, and three David di Donatello nods. Le quattro volte also launched the international career of Frammartino, whose following project was the video installation Alberi (2013) created for the MoMA – Museum of Modern Art in New York.
In Italy, Le quattro volte was released on May 28, 2010, a few days after its international première at the Cannes Film Festival. It was distributed by Cinecittà Luce and sold internationally by Coproduction Office. The film managed to get a theatrical release at a time when this was not common for documentary features. However, it did not achieve significant box office results, reaching a total of $ 79.355 and 17.182 admissions. On the post-theatrical side, as of August 2019, it is possible to rent the movie on the Chili online platform.
| Release | Screens | Weeks | First Weekend ($) | Box Office ($) | Admissions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IT | May 28, 2010 | / | / | 21.941 | 79.355 | 17.182 |
| CH | February 11, 2011 (I) January 12, 2011 (F) May 12, 2011 (D) | / | / | / | 72.463 | 409 (I) 3.407 (F) 1.805 (D) |
| FR | December 29, 2010 | / | / | / | / | 47.563 |
| UK | May 27, 2011 | / | / | 59.791 | 295.957 | 34.336 |
| USA | March 30, 2011 | 6 | 25 | 16.192 | 152.530 | / |
Sources: Lumière, Box Office Mojo, Imdb Pro, ProCinema.ch, CNC
Switzerland
Frenetic Films, one of the most influential independent film distributors active in Switzerland and Lichtenstein, distributed Le quattro volte in Switzerland. The company released the movie first in the French-speaking regions on January 12, 2011, in the Italian-speaking canton on February 11, 2011 and then in the German-speaking part on May 12, 2011. The movie grossed $ 72.463 and 5.621 total admissions – respectively 3.407 in the French Region, 1.805 in the German Region and only 409 in the Italian Region. Therefore, the movie was surprisingly better received among the French-speaking community than the Italian one. As of August 2019, there appears to be no form of post-theatrical distribution for the movie, neither online nor home video.
France
After the première at the Cannes Film Festival, Le quattro volte was presented at the Annecy Italian Cinema Fest, a historic event that aims to support the circulation of Italian films in France. The movie was subsequently released in theaters on December 29, 2010 by the prestigious Les Films du Losange, the production and distribution company founded by Éric Rohmer and Barbet Schroeder. It has reached its highest number of admissions in Europe, which stands at 47.563. As of August 2019, Le quattro volte is available on French platforms Mubi and Orange for purchase or rental.
| Box Office ($) | Admissions | OTT - SVOD | OTT - Rent/Buy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IT | 79.355 | 17.182 | / | Chili |
| CH | 72.463 | 5.621 | / | / |
| FR | / | 47.563 | / | Mubi, Orange VOD |
| UK | 295.957 | 34.336 | / | Amazon Prime, iTunes |
| USA | 152.530 | / | / | / |
UK
The official distribution of the movie in UK was anticipated by its presentation at the Glasgow Film Festival and the Bradford International Film Festival. Le quattro volte was then released on March 30, 2011 by independent distribution company New Wave Films and grossed $59.791 on the first weekend. At the end of its theatrical course, it reached $295.957, with 34.336 total admissions. On the post-theatrical side, the movie was released in DVD and Blu-ray by New Wave Films. It is also available on online platforms including Amazon Prime and iTunes to buy or rent.
USA
Before its theatrical release, in the United States Le quattro volte was presented at festivals including the New York Film Festival and the Telluride Film Festival. Arthouse distributor Kino Lorber – now Kino International – released it on March 30, 2011: it grossed $16.192 on its first weekend, reaching $152.530 across six theaters over 25 weeks. Kino Lorber also handled the post-theatrical release, distributing DVD and Blu-ray editions. As of August 2019, Le quattro volte is also available on SVOD on Kanopy.
