Cinemas asked to refuse pirated rentals during the May holidays
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Cinemas were asked to refuse pirated distribution during the May holidays. The specialized association called on market participants to support Russian films and not organize screenings as part of the so-called pre-show service from April 18 to May 12. During this period, among other things, the film adaptation of Kir Bulychev’s “One Hundred Years Ahead”, the fantastic action film “Dugout” about black diggers in 1941, as well as the adult comedy “Indecent Guests” will be released.
Chairman of the Association of Cinema Owners Alexey Voronkov expects that the majority of market players will heed the call: “This is not the first time we have made such calls, this New Year we also turned to the market and said, guys, let’s make New Year’s releases taking into account the fact that that there is a lot of Russian content, and we will support the domestic producer as much as possible. This story worked very well. We sincerely believe that by 2026 there will be so many Russian films that they will fill the entire annual schedule. The pre-session service story will disappear on its own. We understand that it is difficult for cinemas to survive when there are no films, and this is a necessary measure.
And such periodic actions with the refusal of pirated distribution make it possible to increase the turnover of Russian cinema. But the most important thing is that it’s time to start rebuilding economic models and pay attention to the fact that you can make money from Russian cinema. We have hope that at least 70-90% of the market will respond to our request. We are a public organization and cannot order cinemas to do or not do something.”
The idea of the Association of Cinema Owners was supported by the distributor Atmosfera Kino. The company’s portfolio includes such hits as “The Master and Margarita” and “John Wick 4.” They stated that their upcoming releases will only be shown in those cinemas that temporarily refuse pirated distribution. How convincing is this argument? Cinemaplex publication analyst Sergei Lavrov is convinced that business simply cannot stop this practice: “By “pirate” we mean short films, according to ProfiCinema, from January to March 2024 they collected 15 billion rubles, the official project collected 10 billion rub.
What kind of distribution can we even talk about if only the short “pirate” film exceeds 65% of the box office? Cinemas either have to close down in principle or show films illegally; they have no other choice. At Russian films, the theaters are empty. The January and February blockbusters ended, and March saw very low numbers. Neither “Onegin” nor “The Flying Ship” have grossed billions, but cinemas need this money.
The same “Atmosphere of Cinema”, which came out in support of this action and said that only those cinemas that will not show “pirate” will receive the keys to its releases, does not control this area of film exhibition. Nobody controls her at all. Short films are the tip of the iceberg, 25-30% of rentals. The remaining 70% of pirated film screenings are done at your own peril and risk. And how will you check 5944 cinema halls?
RBC studied the financial statements of Russian cinema chains and found out that they were never able to get out of the crisis. The largest players’ revenue grew by 40%, but the failure that arose due to the pandemic and the departure of Hollywood studios has still not been overcome.
Everything is clear with us – Telegram channel “Kommersant FM”.
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