Russians flock to cinemas showing illegal copies of American films

Officially Avatar 2 is not broadcast in Russia. However, in this room in the suburbs of Moscow, we can see it in the Russian version, impeccably dubbed and in 3D. The copy of the film is probably from Kazkhstan, so it entered Russia illegally.

For Matvey, who came with his son, it’s not a big deal. “How not to go see Avatar! The first made a strong impression on me. It’s the only film I’ve seen twice at the cinema”exclaims the father, a convinced fan.

“We were waiting for the second one. We don’t really care about the rest. It’s their problem.”

Matvev, Russian Avatar fan

at franceinfo

No operator wished to answer our questions. But the Russia of 2023 definitely lives in a parallel reality. Because since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the major studios Disney, Pixar, Warner… no longer deliver copies of their films and no longer authorize their distribution there. And officially, Russia prohibits the diffusion of pirated films, the ministry for the Culture still affirmed it recently. But many cinemas have no choice in the face of the fall in the number of spectators left with Hollywood blockbusters, explains Alexandre Netchaev, the editor-in-chief of a magazine specializing in cinema. “Cinemas are in direct violation of the law, he confirms. They are fully aware of it.”

“The authorities also understand that if they start banning the illegal distribution of Hollywood blockbusters, there will soon be no places to screen Russian cinema.”

Alexander Netchaev, journalist

at franceinfo

The Russian authorities therefore turn a blind eye to these pirate sessions which, moreover, very often, are not for Avatar 2but for a short film which you have never heard of and which will be broadcast after the big film, specifies Alexandre Netchaev. “In Russia, in order for a film to be shown in theaters, it must obtain a distribution certificate. The rights holders of these short films receive these distribution certificates and then resell them to cinemas so that they can register these little films in their program. And of course, behind these short films, there are Hollywood films.”

Avatar 2 attracted more than four million spectators. This is the eighth recipe in the history of Russian cinema. It’s still a lot for a film that officially does not exist.