Thursday, December 23, 2021

"Why do Italians watch Trading Places on Christmas Eve?

From Wanted In Rome, December 21:

It wouldn't be Christmas in Italy without Una Poltrona per Due on tv.

Italy is home to some of the world's oldest and most spectacular Christmas traditions that have illuminated and enriched the Italian festive season for centuries.

It also has some more unexpected modern-day traditions and none is more intriguing than the annual screening of Trading Places on Italian television on Christmas Eve.

Year after year, by popular demand, millions of Italians sit down to watch the dubbed version of the movie, Una Poltrona per Due.

The classic American comedy, a 20th-century take on the tale of the rich man (Dan Aykroyd) and the poor man (Eddie Murphy), has become a fixture in Italy every Christmas.

The film was released in US cinemas on 8 June 1983, and in Italian cinemas on 19 January 1984.

Somewhat ironically - given what has happened since - although the film was an instant success in the US box office, in Italy it came only 13th in the ranking of most viewed films that year.....

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