There are three aspects that, more than anything else, deserve to be highlighted when talking about a theater and that describe its health status, according to Francesco Giambrone, superintendent of the Rome Opera: “a theater must be as open as possible, as full as possible, and must have a solid budget, a prerequisite for the two previous factors.”
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2025, the year of records
Well, the capital’s opera foundation closed a few weeks ago its 12th consecutive positive balance sheet, with a profit of over 106 thousand euros. The 2025 budget is extraordinary, as the theater benefited from additional public resources (+10.3%) related to the Jubilee, reaching a record production value of 66.8 million euros, an increase of 7.7% compared to 2024 and 12.8% compared to 2019. Extraordinary resources were met with extraordinary commitment, notes Giambrone, with the launch of special projects and a 17.8% increase in the production of operas, ballets, and concerts. The data on hall occupancy is very positive, averaging 91.4%, not only for “cult” classics like Tosca and Bohème, but also for a contemporary opera like “Inferno” (89.4%).
Another figure the superintendent wants to emphasize is the self-financing percentage, equal to 24.8% of the total. Ticket revenues amounted to 14.2 million euros, up 3.5% compared to 2019, although slightly down compared to the previous year (14.4 million) due to some delays in the summer programming. Paying spectators numbered 282 thousand, plus about 25 thousand people who attended the shows of the Opera Camion project, launched last year. Own revenues also increased (by 12%), over 5.5 million euros, which also include new resources from patrons and sponsors.
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The legacy of the Jubilee
This last trend is confirmed also in the current year: “We notice a growing interest from private individuals, who are especially active in social, educational, and inclusive projects,” explains Giambrone, such as the Dance School directed by Eleonora Abbagnato, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2028 and has over 150 students. Similarly, membership programs are also growing, with a 10% increase in the first half of 2026, supporting in this case too projects beyond the traditional artistic programming, like Fabbrica, the program that for ten years has allowed new talents, already trained at conservatories and academies, to enter the world of entertainment.
“Since last year we can also count on about thirty young patrons under 30, who represent a part of our loyal audience and have decided to support the theater with a special contribution,” says the superintendent, recalling the increase also in spectators under 35, about 30% of the total.
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