Russians Will Be Deprived Of The Last Hollywood Movie Screenings In Theaters
1- 8.09.2026, 14:13
- 1,666
Following statements from the Kremlin and the State Duma.
Russia will phase out the underground distribution of foreign films by the New Year, Alexei Voronkov , chairman of the Association of Movie Theater Owners (AVK) , told NSN. “The practice of ‘pre-screening service’ will be completely discontinued, in our opinion, within the next two to three months,” he clarified. Voronkov did not disclose the reasons for this forecast, writes The Moscow Times.
This refers to a scheme in which viewers are sold tickets to short films or documentaries with distribution certificates issued in Russia, while new foreign films are illegally screened before the main feature. It has become widespread following the withdrawal of major Hollywood studios—Disney, Warner Bros., Universal, Sony, and Paramount—due to the war in Ukraine.
Alexey Shabarin, CEO of the Mori Cinema chain , confirmed to RBC that Voronkov’s remarks reflect the actual situation and that plans are indeed in place to discontinue the practice of “pre-screening screenings.” “This is absolutely reliable information. He didn’t say that for no reason. The details are being discussed,” he noted.
In August, the State Duma and the Kremlin criticized the shadow distribution market. Russian Presidential Advisor Elena Yampolskaya called on the state to take control of this sector due to the danger of showing “defamatory” films to Russians. “It is impossible to clearly track exactly what is being shown [in this format],” she explained.
In turn, Elena Drapeko, deputy chair of the State Duma Committee on Culture, asked the Ministry of Internal Affairs to investigate unofficial screenings of foreign films following the release in Russia of the latest installment of the comic book movie “Spider-Man,” which grossed about 900 million rubles in its first weekend alone. The lawmaker considered that underground distribution constitutes a criminal offense—specifically, illegal business activity—and demanded that the Ministry of Culture forward information about such screenings to law enforcement agencies.
Rifat Fazlyev , editor-in-chief of Cinemaplex , warned that putting an end to the underground distribution of foreign blockbusters would lead to a decline in movie theater attendance. “If the Russian market cannot offer any phenomenal projects, we will face an even greater decline or a loss of interest from viewers, who will turn to online platforms,” he said.
According to official data, in 2025, alternative screenings of foreign films brought Russian movie theaters 2.8 billion rubles—5.59% of total box office revenue. However, market experts estimated the actual revenue from this format at 5.6 billion rubles, taking into account that approximately 50% of “gray market” screenings are not reflected in the EAIS system.
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