娱乐英语新闻:"What A Beautiful Day" becomes top earning Italian film

ROME, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- "What a beautiful day," a new comedy from Italian stand-up comic Checco Zalone, is officially the new king of Italian film, surpassing three-time Oscar winner "Life is Beautiful" over the weekend to become the highest grossing Italian film in domestic cinema history.

As of Monday, just 17 days after it opened, the film has raked in 31.5 million euros (42.2 million U.S. dollars), beating the 31. 2 million euros (41.8 million U.S. dollars) Roberto Benigni's 1997 classic earned in a four-month domestic cinema run.

On the surface, the two films share some similarities: Zalone and Benigni both made names for themselves as comedians, and both films find comedy in serious topics: "What a Beautiful Day" explores certain acts of terror, while "Life is Beautiful" is set in a World War II death camp.

But the similarities end there: "What a beautiful day" is seen as having too many Italy-only jokes to make much of an impact abroad, and critics have written it off as fun but not particularly compelling. "Life is Beautiful," meanwhile, earned three Oscars, took in nearly 60 million U.S. dollars more in foreign receipts, and was praised by many critics.

"What a beautiful day," the film title in Italian is "Che bella giornata", tells the story of an under-prepared security guard, played by Zalone, who draws the job of guarding the Madonnina, the statue on the top of Milan's Duomo Cathedral. He falls in love with a beautiful Arab woman, played by Nabira Akkari, who flatters him as part of a terror plot to bomb the Cathedral.

When the news came out that his comedy has surpassed Benigni's comedic drama in domestic sales, Zalone told the local press that while his film had earned more money than "Life is Beautiful" he did not feel he had personally surpassed Benigni.

"I have to apologize to maestro Benigni," Zalone told the daily newspaper L'Unita. "If I am recognized by Hollywood and win three Oscars, then maybe we can say I surpassed him. But not now."

All told, the strong performance from "What a beautiful day" is continuing a strong trend for Italian films and the Italian film sector in general.

After disappointing years in 2008 and 2009, the sales of tickets in Italy rose a dramatic 18 percent last year to their highest level in a decade.

Over the last six months, Italian films have controlled more than 40 percent of the Italian film market, compared to around 30 percent most years.

With more strong films expected to be released in the coming months, expert observers say it's possible the 2010 level could be bested this year.