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The Gaza war documentary “NAZA” topped the Italian box office during its first two days in cinemas, generating nearly €1.1 million ($1.24 million) in ticket sales, Italian box office tracker Cinetel said on Wednesday.
The film opened in first place on Monday with €451,872 in revenue and 60,467 admissions, more than double the €179,612 earned that day by the re-release of “Avengers: Endgame”, Cinetel figures showed.
“NAZA” retained the top spot on Tuesday, taking a further €623,164 and attracting more than 83,000 viewers. Its cumulative gross reached €1,096,816 from 146,720 admissions.
Strong demand extends cinema run
The documentary was initially scheduled as a three-day cinema event from Sept. 28 to 30 in 515 theaters across Italy. Many screenings sold out, and performances continued beyond the planned run because of strong demand.
Directed by Oscar-winning Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, “NAZA” examines the killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza through testimony from Israeli military and intelligence personnel.
The film was secretly shot over three years on rooftops in Tel Aviv. It includes testimony from 24 Israeli military and intelligence insiders whose identities, voices and appearances were digitally altered for protection.
Film features testimony from Israeli insiders
Personnel featured in the documentary describe systems used to identify, track and strike targets despite anticipated civilian casualties. Some also say they witnessed residential areas used as shelters being set on fire and Palestinians being killed during food distribution in Gaza.
The film takes its name from “NAZA”, an abbreviation reportedly used by Israel’s military intelligence agency Aman to indicate the number of civilians expected to be killed in an airstrike.
“NAZA” recently received the Special Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival, where its premiere was followed by a standing ovation lasting about 25 minutes.
The documentary has also faced criticism from Israeli officials. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this month that he would seek legislation targeting people who “defame” Israeli soldiers after the film was screened.
