The Substance and the I Wonder Pictures controversy: ''Why remove salt from the film?''

Image Credit: Working Title Films

With over 2.4 billion views on TikTok and a constant growth in searches on social media and Google, The Substance is not just a film, but a cultural phenomenon. 

Thanks to the unique mix of visual aesthetics, psychological impact, and social themes, the film stands out as an experience that goes beyond the screen, capable of sparking debate and stimulating deep reflections. And yet, the distribution of film in theaters continues to suffer from management that does not fully reflect its potential: the unjustified reduction of shows often occurs in favor of less-performing titles and, furthermore, outdated evaluation criteria are adopted, such as the average theater, which distorts the analysis of real performances.

The Substance and the Controversy of I Wonder Pictures

Andrea Romeo, founder and editorial director of I Wonder Pictures, is arguing about these policies, firmly intervening on social media, saying: “The success of The Substance shows that the film can give more and we are not satisfied with those who tell us: ‘It held up, so it’s fine like this’. We want back the shows that we know we can fill! We are ready to sell out if we have the opportunity to restore shows and theaters that have been taken away from us, often in favor of uncompetitive releases. We cannot silently accept that our film is compressed, while many other theaters remain empty. 

The cinematographic exercise must evolve and put the public at the center rather than relying exclusively on the logic of the distributors. As Romeo rightly says, “We must go beyond mere box office data and overcome prejudices. New technologies offer us tools to better understand what the public is looking for: it is necessary to analyze not only the number of tickets sold but also the occupancy data and the interest generated on social media.”

The success of The Substance, along with titles like Barbie, There's Another Tomorrow, and Poor Creatures, shows that audiences are ready for a cinema capable of combining content and visual impact. It's time for horror to assert itself as an inclusive and revolutionary genre. The Substance is currently in theaters in Italy, distributed by I Wonder Pictures and Wise Pictures. Don't miss the opportunity to live a unique experience, which is changing the face of contemporary cinema.