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Gay British Drama Is A Hit In Italy Despite Attempted Vatican 'Ban'

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‘Weekend’, the British romantic drama by director Andrew Haigh, has proved a hit in Italy, despite the Vatican’s attempts to stifle its release.

Prior to its release at last weekend, the CEI (the Italian Episcopal Conference), the Vatican-based assembly of bishops which has sway over cultural matters in Italy, handed the movie the rare 'not recommended/unusable/indecent’ rating, its worst possible.

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But despite the ruling, the film made a sturdy €16,000 (£12,500) at one cinema alone in Rome, and scored the highest average per-screen taking across the whole country.

In terms of per-screen averages, it took more than 'The Divergent Series: Allegiant’, which made around £3000 per screen, to 'Weekend’s £4,400, though 'Allegiant’ was released on several hundred screens with 'Weekend’ released on just 10.

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Still, it made a healthy £44,500 in all, landing it at number 19 in the Italian box office chart.

The film, which was released in the UK in 2011 and made on a shoestring budget, follows Tom Cullen’s Russell, a lifeguard, and Chris New’s Glen, an artist, as they meet for the first time and spend the weekend together.

Prior to the film’s release, Teodora, who had bought the movie to distribute in Italy, was concerned by the Vatican’s ruling.

The church still owns and controls some art-house cinemas in Italy, the target market for the movie.

“Weekend shows no explicit sex, only two people loving and caring for each other,” Teodora co-owner Cesare Petrillo told Screen International.

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“The film was declared the national movie critics’ pick of the week. It’s a great shame, especially as this only seems to apply to gay men. 'Blue Is The Warmest Colour’ featured explicit sex scenes between women but it didn’t receive the level of disapproval reserved for 'Weekend’.”

'Blue Is The Warmest Colour’, the Palme d'Or-winning movie about two lesbians embarking on a torrid sexual relationship, received the rating ‘complex/indecent’, less severe than that received by 'Weekend’.

Image credits: Peccadillo Pictures/Frenetic Films