Global Box Office Takes Another Heavy Hit As Cinemas Close In Italy

As the COVID-19 (coronavirus) continues to spread, and people in many parts of the world are encouraged to stay home, certain business sectors--including the movie industry--have been hit hard. Italy, which has gone into quarantine and has the second highest death toll from the virus (after China), has posted its lowest box-office weekend results in some time, as cinemas go into lockdown.

According to Deadline, Italy--the tenth biggest box office market globally--tracked just $504,000 in ticket sales over the weekend of March 6-8, down 94% compared to a year prior.

Of course, the cost to the global cinema is nothing compared to the loss of human life--hopefully we'll see a drop in infection rates soon. Number one at the box office was the Italian film Hidden Away, a biopic about the painter Antonio Ligabue, which dropped 79% for a $132,960 take. Disney pushed back the originally planned release of Pixar's Onward, which topped the US box office that same weekend.

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