NAZA documentary tops Italian box office ahead of Avengers

The documentary NAZA opened at number one at the Italian box office, beating the major Hollywood re-release Avengers: Endgame Encore to second place. By the end of Tuesday, NAZA's takings had risen to about €1.1 million, while Avengers: Endgame Encore grossed €356,000 over the same two-day period.

Critical acclaim and extended run

NAZA won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month. Its premiere there was met with a 24.5-minute ovation, a festival record. The film’s release window was extended after sold-out auditoriums and positive audience reaction. Its run at the Tibur cinema in Rome has been extended for at least another week. More than 150 other cinemas across Italy have also extended programming for NAZA, and that number is expected to grow. Andrea Romeo, founder of distributor I Wonder Pictures, stated that as long as theatres want to show it, NAZA will continue to be screened.

Audience reaction and political resonance

In packed cinemas across Italy, audiences have responded with applause and displays of the Palestinian flag. At the Tibur cinema in Rome's San Lorenzo area, the audience watched in complete silence. Marco, a member of staff there, described the reaction. "In general, the public was in shock as they watched," he said. "There was silence throughout the whole film. Even at the end, nobody spoke." Simone Gialdini, president of cinema owners' association Anec, said the massive turnout can partly be explained by the film’s political nature and a strong desire among activists to send a signal about a terrible situation. He noted the film has drawn a diverse audience of all ages who know what they are going to see and are aware of the tragedy.

Origins and upcoming releases

NAZA is an award-winning documentary about Israel’s systemic mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, produced by The Guardian and JW Films. It builds on reporting published from 2023 to 2025 in the Guardian, +972 Magazine, and Hebrew-language outlet Local Call. The project takes its name from an acronym used euphemistically by Israeli intelligence to indicate how many civilians it expects to die in an airstrike. The film features the testimony of 24 anonymised Israeli soldiers and intelligence officers, describing the AI-powered surveillance systems used to select targets. It was filmed in secret on rooftops in Tel Aviv. Jonathan Glazer serves as executive producer.

The documentary opens in New York on Wednesday at the IFC Center. A wider U.S. Theatrical rollout begins on October 9. MK2 handles international distribution, and the film will be released in more than 50 territories over the next month. The Guardian and MK2 assembled a team of U.S. and international partners and consultants for the U.S. Rollout. NAZA will be made freely available globally via The Guardian website in mid-November.