Sanctions and western boycotts have the same effect as protective tariffs for Russian industry. Things are picking up for their movie industry since Hollywood and the EU pulled out of the country, but they don't say how movie theaters are faring.
The article discuses other countries competing with Hollywood or coping with being cut off from American movies.
Iran is becoming prominent in international film festivals, China and South Korea are competing with Hollywood and doing pretty well. I don't know about China, but in Korea's case, the average movie-goer is ten years older than the average American ticket buyer, so their culture hasn't been ravaged by the sort of superhero crap that's taken over here. France is the one of the few countries where Hollywood controls less than 50% of the market.
From the article:
2022 was the first year when Russian-made movies accounted for over half of all box office receipts with a total share of 52.1%. In comparison, at this time last year 73.36% of the content shown here was foreign. January 2023 became the best month ever for Russian cinema and box office earnings topped 8,663 billion rubles ($118 million). This was a 61.8% increase from 2022 and improved on the 2020 record by 12.3%.
This success was largely due to the release of the family blockbuster “Cheburashka”, which set a record at the national box office and collected 6 billion rubles (almost twice as much as “Avatar” in 2009) or $80 million.
Currently, there are several movies in post-production that may not break the record but will likely be successful. For example, “The Challenge” is set to be released in cinemas this April. This is the first feature film to be partially shot in space on the ISS.
The absence of Hollywood is already balanced by the development of domestic drama. By the end of 2022, the number of Russian films and TV series that went into production increased by 16%.
This growth has been prompted by the withdrawal of Hollywood blockbusters, which accounted for a major share of box office receipts. If Hollywood does decide to return, it will probably face much fiercer competition than before.
They note that the EU is more dependent on the Russian market and that France's Pathe has announced they'll return to Russia.
The article goes into the reason for Hollywoods global dominance:
Hollywood is a unique industry. Its modern movies are specifically tailored to international audiences. Their goal is to encompass the widest possible number of viewers.
There are a variety of reasons and viewpoints on why Hollywood dominates the global film market. Among other factors, this is linked to a greater urban population in the US, as opposed to other countries. In the US, the domestic market proved to be so large that movies made returns at home and were then exported abroad to compete with local film industries. Such a strategy eliminates risks, since, even in case of failure, the production can't suffer a significant financial loss. Moreover, the growth of the US economy in the post-WWII era contributed to the strengthening of the film industry, especially against the background of the economic damage inflicted on Europe.
However, even Hollywood hasn’t been able to take over all markets. It is much less popular in countries with protectionist laws in place, such as France. The share of American movies is also smaller in regions with significant cultural differences like India, China, and Africa.
Read the whole thing here:
