Barbenheimer
Photo: Universal Pictures (left), Warner Bros. (right). All rights reserved.
They are the most successful cinema films of the summer. “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” have blown up the box office since their joint cinema release on July 20. But not in Russia. Since his invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the country has been boycotted by the West. Likewise, no Western films are shown in local cinemas.
After Deputy Speaker of the Russian Parliament Vladislav Davankov requested a pilot project that would allow Russian cinemas to show bootleg versions of popular new releases, Andrei Malyshev, Deputy Minister of Culture, spoke up. “We believe that the films you are proposing to the citizens of our country – Barbie and Oppenheimer – do not correspond to the goals set by the head of state, namely to preserve and strengthen the traditional spiritual and moral values of Russia,” declines Malyshev the application.
Instead, the deputy culture minister believes that national productions can already offer optimal entertainment. He points to the children’s animated film Cheburashka and The Challenge, a government-sponsored film that was filmed on the International Space Station.