While neorealism exploded after the war, and was incredibly influential at the international level, neorealist films made up only a small percentage of Italian films produced during this period, as postwar Italian moviegoers preferred escapist comedies starring actors such as Totò and Alberto Sordi.
Dok je neorealizam eksplodirao poslije rata, i bio nevjerojadno utjecajan na internacionalnom planu, neorealistički filmovi su činili vrlo mali postotak talijanske kinematografije tijekom ovog perioda, pošto je talijanski auditorij više volio komedije u kojima su glumili Totò i Alberto Sordi.