Ministry Denies Forced School Showings of 'Kolobok'
The Russian Ministry of Education denied reports that schools were required to show the film 'The Last Bogatyr: Kolobok' to students in grades 1–9, stating no such official documents were issued. The film, released on August 6, 2026, sparked controversy due to its scheduling conflict with 'Spider-Man: New Day' and negative audience reactions.
Consensus
- The Russian Ministry of Education denied that it issued any documents requiring schools to show 'The Last Bogatyr: Kolobok' to students.
- The Ministry stated it did not issue any regulatory or directive documents obligating educational institutions to conduct mass screenings of the film.
- The film was released on August 6, 2025, and became a box office leader in Russia during its opening weekend.
- The film is based on a Slavic fairy tale about Kolobok and is directed by Anton Maslov.
- The film's release coincided with the postponement of 'Spider-Man: New Day' in Russian theaters, which contributed to public backlash.
- The film received negative audience reviews, with a 3.0 rating on Kinopoisk and 1.1 on IMDb as of August 14.
Points of divergence
- The film became the leader of the domestic box office on its first day and earned 53.7 million rubles, with total earnings exceeding 252.2 million rubles by the end of the first weekend. — vm
- The film earned over 244.5 million rubles in its first weekend. — m24
- The film faced backlash due to the creators' aggressive responses to negative comments on social media, including a public dispute by director Anton Maslov with a critic. — fontanka
- An investigation was opened against the creators of 'Kolobok' due to threats made against them. — fontanka
- The film's user rating on IMDb was 1.0 as of August 14. — vedomosti
- The film was met with dozens of screenings and empty theaters in St. Petersburg. — fontanka
Coverage (6 sources)
- Ministry of Education refutes rumors about mandatory screening of 'Kolkobok' in schools — Фонтанка
- Ministry of Education refutes reports about mandatory screening of "Kolkobok" in schools — Ведомости
- Russian Ministry of Education refutes rumors about mandatory viewing of 'Kolkobok' in schools — Вечерняя Москва
- Russian Ministry of Education refutes fake news about mandatory screening of "The Woodpecker" for schoolchildren. — ТАСС (Telegram)
- Ministry of Education refutes rumors about mandatory screenings of 'Kolkobok' for schoolchildren — Интерфакс
- Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation denied rumors about mandatory screening of 'Kolobok' in schools — Москва 24
Key entities
- Russia
- Ministry of Education
- Ministry of Education
- Media
- Moscow
- INTERFAX.RU
- Telegram
- Telegram channel
- TASS
- Russia 1
- Networks
- Yellow
- Anton Maslov
- Black & White