A number of Hollywood studios such as Paramount, Disney, Warner Bros. and Sony had suspended the theatrical release of their productions in Russia in response to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. For example, the new “Batman” with Robert Pattinson should not be shown in Russian cinemas. But reality looks different.
“The Batman” – we explain the film:
Collapse of the Russian film industry is imminent
According to “Torrentfreak”, various blockbusters are said to have flickered across Russian screens. Since the strips were not cleared by the studios, the theaters themselves took action and released pirated versions to the public.
The illegal distribution of the films is an act of desperation in the cinema industry: the “Russian Association of Theater Owners” sees a collapse of the entire film industry as a result of the sanctions imposed, it said in a statement. The merger includes a total of 700 cinemas and 2,600 screens across the country.
Russian productions cannot supply domestic cinemas on their own
According to the association, the “quantity and quality” of available Russian films cannot meet the demand of domestic cinemas. It would therefore also be problematic “that the start of some Russian films was postponed or canceled entirely for reasons unknown to us, even though these films received state production funding.”
Based on these conditions, the association predicts a loss of revenue of 80 percent. The cinema owners sent a cry for help to the Ministry of Culture – it is unclear whether this will be heard or dealt with. With a drastic vision of the future in mind, some cinema owners are said to have helped themselves with illegal measures.
Unofficial demonstrations disguised as “art performance”.
The social media are said to have spread the regions in which films such as “Batman”, “Don’t Look Up” and “Turning Red”, which should not actually be available in Russia, will be shown. An illegal “Batman” screening is said to have taken place at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow, calling it an “art performance with artistic commentary on Hollywood’s withdrawal from the Russian market”. The source was “unofficial”, according to “Torrentfreak” the film had been downloaded from a torrent site.
Since film piracy is forbidden in Russia, the organizers would try to cover up the illegality of the screenings. For example, it was publicly claimed that the film offer came from the organization of a private event.
Association of cinema owners sees the development critically
The Russian Association of Cinema Owners sees this development critically: “The illegal public showing of pirated or stolen copies of films in cinemas deprives the Russian cinema business of the legal framework and takes us back to the dark days of the illegal business of the 1990s,” explain you.
The resort to criminal prosecution is a “panic reaction” to the “lack of an effective government response” and would be “condemned” by the Association of Cinema Owners. The “professional film community” is called upon to refrain from such practices.
Torrentfreak reports on fans traveling abroad to legally watch the latest blockbusters. However, this is “neither practical nor sustainable” in the long run.