ROME — The Italian National Film Academy has installed reinforced turnstiles at the entrances of all 4,700 affiliated cinemas, each fitted with a calibrated applause meter that now regulates the duration of every standing ovation to a maximum of one kilosecond, or 16 minutes and 40 seconds, after which the house lights snap on and a recorded voice announces the next screening.
Academy president Ludovico Ferrara explained the new policy at a press conference held inside a converted ticket booth. «For too long, the length of an ovation has been left to the whim of the audience,» he said. «A film that moves three people in a small art house receives the same clapping as a blockbuster premiere in Milan. This is an unfairness we could no longer tolerate.»
The turnstiles, which resemble airport security gates, require each patron to pass through individually before the film begins. Once the credits roll, a digital counter above the screen begins tallying the applause. At exactly 1,000 seconds, a hydraulic arm gently lowers from the ceiling and taps the front-row seats, signalling that the ovation has concluded. Cinemas that exceed the limit face a fine of €2 per extra second, payable by the theatre manager, not the audience.
Early reports indicate that audiences have adapted with unexpected enthusiasm. At a screening in Turin on Tuesday, patrons reportedly coordinated their clapping into rhythmic waves to maximise the measured output, treating the meter as a competitive scoreboard. Ferrara welcomed the development. «We have created a new sport,» he said. «Next month we will introduce regional championships, with the winning cinema receiving a golden turnstile to display in its lobby.»
The academy is now developing a companion device that measures the volume of laughter during comedies, with plans to install it in time for the autumn festival season.