In Italy, There’s Still Tomorrow beat Barbie at the box office

Barbie may be the most financially successful film directed by a woman, and the highest-grossing movie of 2023, thanks to Greta Gerwig. In Italy, however, another film, made by a woman and directly addressing female issues, beat it at the box office.

It became a phenomenon in Italy last year, taking more money than both Barbie and Oppenheimer combined. The book It’s Still Tomorrow (C’è Ancora Domani) by Paola Cortellesi is now being released across Europe, including the UK.

Last month, it made around £31.5m in cinemas, making it the biggest film of 2023 and the most successful film ever directed by an Italian.

This movie has generated a wave of participation and affection from audiences that no one could have predicted.” she says.

It’s not surprising, however, that There’s Still Tomorrow struck such a chord in Italy because the heroine, Delia, (also portrayed by Cortellesi), suffers violence from her husband. In 1946, the year Italian women were first permitted to vote, Delia is a housewife and mother living in poverty in Rome after World War II.