Russia may end unofficial foreign film screenings

Moscow, Sept 7. TASS reported that Russia may conclude its practice of pre-show service in cinemas, according to Alexey Voronkov, head of the Association of Cinema Owners of Russia.

Consensus

The practice of pre-session servicing in Russian cinemas may be discontinued within the next two to three months.
This practice has allowed cinemas to show foreign films without official distribution licenses since 2022.
The discontinuation would mean that major international blockbusters like 'Dune: Part Three' and 'Avengers: Judgment Day' will not be shown in Russia before April 2028.
The mechanism involves selling tickets for officially released Russian films (often short films) while showing foreign blockbusters as free pre-show content.
The official release of these foreign films in Russia is contingent on successful negotiations with Hollywood studios.
The current legal framework allowing this practice is valid until March 1, 2028.
The practice began after major Hollywood studios (Disney, Warner Bros., Universal) left Russia due to sanctions.

Points of divergence

The head of the Association of Cinema Owners, Alexei Voronkov, said the practice may be completely stopped in the next two to three months. — tg_govorit_nemoskva
The market sources link Voronkov's statement to the success of the shadow release in August, noting that combined box office revenues increased twofold compared to August of the previous year. — kommersant
The market sources estimate that 'Spider-Man: New Day' earned 1 billion rubles in its opening weekend and 'Odyssey' earned around 1.5 billion rubles, though these figures are approximate and unverifiable. — kommersant
President of the Guild of Film Producers and Film Production Organizers, Filipp Kudryashov, stated that the initiative to ban unofficial foreign film screenings is premature and contradicts current commercial realities. — riamo
The shadow release scheme helped Russian cinemas earn over seven billion rubles. — novaya_eu
On August 25, Deputy Chair of the State Duma Committee on Culture, Yelena Drapeko, called for law enforcement to investigate illegal film distribution in cinemas. — vm
Presidential advisor Elena Yampolskaya criticized the screening of foreign films without licenses, emphasizing the need to promote Russian culture. — vesti
Yampolskaya warned that it is unclear what is being shown under the pre-session format — 'Spider-Man' or something potentially more dangerous. — fontanka

Coverage (10 sources)

«Long live Kolobok all year round»: Russia may suspend illegal screenings of foreign films — Говорит НеМосква
In Russian cinemas, unofficial screenings of foreign films may be refused — Коммерсантъ
In the Guild of Russian Film Producers, refusal from foreign films was called premature — РИАМО
In Russia, foreign film releases may stop being shown under the guise of 'pre-sequence service' — Новая газета Европа
Pre-show screenings of Hollywood films in Russia may cease. New 'Avengers' and 'Dune' will not be shown this winter — SOTAvision
In the Association of Cinema Owners, the cancellation of pre-show screenings was allowed — Коммерсантъ
Head of AVK: Practice of pre-screening service in Russia will end by New Year — Вечерняя Москва
Pre-show screenings in Russia may conclude — Вести
In Russian cinemas, the practice of pre-show service may cease. The release of 'Dune' and 'Avengers' is not planned — Фонтанка
In the Association of Cinema Owners, shadow screening is announced to be abandoned. And they added that 'Dune' and 'Avengers' will not be shown in Russia before April 2027 — Meduza

Russia may end unofficial foreign film screenings

Consensus

Points of divergence

Coverage (10 sources)

Key entities

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