Film industry in Russia - statistics & facts
Despite the exodus of major international film distributors, such as Disney, Paramount, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Warner Bros., and Universal Pictures, due to the war in Ukraine in 2022, Russia recorded a 64-percent increase in its gross box office revenue in 2023. Even though the earnings were below the 2021 figures, the year 2023 was successful for the domestic film industry, which is receiving substantial government support. Some of the highest-grossing films in modern Russian cinematography were released in 2023, including "Cheburashka" and "The Wish of the Fairy Fish."
First hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns and then with an exodus of major distributors, the Russian film industry has shown resilience by releasing new domestic films with a high attendance and box office, often relying on state support.
Impact of the war in Ukraine on the Russian film industry
Russia used to be one of the largest film markets worldwide before 2022. The exodus of Western distributors led to an increase in illegal movie streaming and downloads, while movie theaters faced a shortage of new releases and started re-releasing older Russian and Soviet movies. At the same time, cinemas were expected to screen more films from other regions, such as Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.COVID-19 impact on cinemas in Russia
In late March 2020, the government closed movie theaters and other cultural establishments. As a result, cinemas saw a sharp decline in attendance, while film producers had to suspend their projects at the time. In total, the country's gross box office fell by 59 percent in 2020 compared to the previous year. While the figures sharply increased in 2021, they were still below pre-pandemic levels. At the same time, video-on-demand (VOD) platforms saw a rise. The segment of video streaming (SVOD) recorded a 63-percent growth in 2021 compared to 2020 and was triple of the 2019 revenue.First hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns and then with an exodus of major distributors, the Russian film industry has shown resilience by releasing new domestic films with a high attendance and box office, often relying on state support.
