Cinecittà Studios Back on Track After Luring Mel Gibson, Ridley Scott

Rome’s Cinecittà Studios are filling up once again following a brief hiatus due to the fallout from Hollywood’s writers’ and actors’ strikes combined with a – now fully resolved – spell of uncertainty about the solidity of Italy’s tax rebate for international productions.

That’s the main takeaway from a press event held in Rome by Cinecittà CEO Manuela Cacciamani who, after taking the reins in July, is now implementing a 2025-2029 plan under which she expects the studios to generate nearly €60 million ($67 million) in revenue and turn a small but significant €4.3 million ($4.8 million) profit by 2029.

The iconic film facilities that are being revamped thanks to a €300 million ($338 million) loan, provided by the European Union’s post-pandemic recovery fund, recently lured both Mel Gibson, who is arriving in August to shoot “The Resurrection of the Christ” at Cinecittà’s sprawling new Studio 22 facility, and Ridley Scott. The latter has set up camp at Cinecittà’s Studio 5, once known as Federico Fellini’s second home, for his post-apocalyptic thriller “The Dog Stars,” while Disney, Universal and Fox Nation will soon start shooting major still undisclosed projects on the studio lot, Cacciamani said.

She noted that the studios have now reached full occupancy for the fourth quarter of this year.

The Cinecittà chief underlined that, while getting U.S. and, more broadly, international clients to shoot at the studios is crucial, she is also focussing on attracting more Italian productions. “What I have learned from recent years of actor and screenwriter strikes, as well as fires and tariffs, is that you can’t just rely on international cinema,” Cacciamani said, adding that attracting more Italian movies is one of her priorities.

The main driver for luring international shoots is a combination of the country’s tax incentives and the fact that Cinecittà is being transformed…