Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor’s documentary NAZA has converted festival attention into a commercial result, opening at No. 1 in Italy days after taking a special jury prize at Venice.
The opening number
In its first theatrical outing after Venice, NAZA grossed roughly €1.1 million ($1.2 million) on Monday and Tuesday. Avengers: Endgame Encore, the Marvel re-release in its second week, took €356,000 ($404,000) over the same two-day window, according to Variety’s figures.
That is a useful benchmark rather than a like-for-like genre comparison. A documentary opening ahead of a high-awareness franchise re-release on a weekday signals that demand is being driven by urgency, not just curiosity.
The Italian run through I Wonder Pictures was originally set as a three-day event for Sept. 28-30. Advance sales were strong enough that the release has been extended, and numerous screenings were sold out before the premiere.
A distribution model worth tracking
The commercial result matters because of how the film is being released, not just where it opened. NAZA is not being sold to a studio or an independent distributor. The Guardian and MK2 have brought together U.S. and international partners to move the film quickly.
The sequence is a case study in event-cinema mechanics:
- Scarcity first: a short Italian theatrical window with advance sales as the demand signal.
- Extension only on evidence: the run grew after sold-out screenings, not before.
- Global scale second: more than 50 territories are now planned.
- Reach window later: the film goes free on The Guardian’s website in late November.
For media planners and entertainment marketers, this structure shifts the usual release logic. Rather than spending heavily to create awareness from zero, the film borrows credibility from its Venice prize, its New York Film Festival reception and the investigative reporting behind it.
Why the film is connecting
NAZA was shot at night on rooftops in Tel Aviv and examines the killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. It builds on revelations published by +972, Local Call and The Guardian between 2023 and 2025. The film is produced by The Guardian and JW Films, with Jonathan Glazer executive producing and MK2 handling international sales.
The directors received a 24.5-minute ovation at Venice. In their statement, Abraham and Szor said: “It is up to all of us to break that silence.”
What to watch next
Italy is one market and the opening covers only two days, so the result is a strong early signal rather than a final verdict. The immediate test is the U.S. rollout, which starts Wednesday exclusively at the IFC Center in New York.
The next data points are whether sold-out Italian screenings convert into sustained holds, whether other territories extend their runs after initial demand, and how the free Guardian window in late November affects theatrical appetite. Issue-driven films have historically needed festival awards or broadcaster backing to travel; NAZA is testing whether a direct, partner-led model can do the same at speed.
Source: Variety
