«Comunicazioni sociali», 2018, n. 3, 341-355 © 2018 Vita e Pensiero / Pubblicazioni dell’Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore DOM HOLDAWAY* - MASSIMO SCAGLIONI** FROM DISTRIBUTION TO CIRCULATION STUDIES: MAPPING ITALIAN FILMS ABROAD *** Abstract This article begins with the observation that, in the era of media convergence and abundance, the consumption of audio-visual media occurs in such a fragmentary and ‘informal’ way that to speak simply of ‘distribution’ is no longer suffcient. Though it remains relevant – as demonstrated by the continued centrality of the box offce – this term implies a vertical, closed economic process which overshadows other viewing processes (institutional and non-). The article thus proposes adopting the term ‘circulation’, which instead would allow scholars to map out the movement of audio-visual products in various (geographic, technological) contexts, in order then to question cinema’s cultural impact in a broader and more exhaustive way. Following a theoretical refection on circulation and the conception of national cinema, the article refects on the case of Italy. The discussion then presents the results of a quantitative analy- sis of box-offce data – which is justifed as a fundamental starting point for refections on circula- tion. The second and third parts illustrates the shortcomings of Italian cinema in particular from a comparative perspective, identifying the potential successful circulation models, and national cin- emas within the European Union. The fourth examines the European markets where Italian cine- ma fnds the most signifcant audiences, thus signalling its various strategic circulation patterns. Keywords Italian cinema; national cinema; distribution; circulation; theatrical distribution. ISSN: 03928667 (print) 18277969 (digital) DOI: 10.26350/001200_000024 1. the issue of ‘italian cinema’ and of its distribution and circulation Though Italian cinema has, “in molti momenti del secolo passato, costituito una sorta di stella polare, un patrimonio comune per l’immaginazione di pubblici di tutto il mondo” 1 , the scholarly attention paid to its ability to travel beyond national borders – and export thus an idea of ‘Italianness’ – has been somewhat intermittent. Italy’s complex relation- * Università degli Studi di Milano – dominic.holdaway@unimi.it. ** Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore – massimo.scaglioni@unicatt.it. *** This essay was conceived and developed jointly by the two authors. Sections 1 and 2 were written by Massimo Scaglioni, sections 3 and 4 by Dom Holdaway. It was written under the auspices of the “International Circulation of Italian Cinema” research project, funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (PRIN 2015). 1 G.P. Brunetta, Guida alla storia del cinema italiano (1905-2003), Turin: Einaudi, 2003, 408. “On many instances in the previous century, been a kind of North Star, a shared heritage in the imaginations of audiences across the globe”. All translations are the authors’ own.