\n<\/p>\n
As people in much of the world flocked to see Greta Gerwig\u2019s blockbuster film \u201cBarbie\u201d this summer<\/a>, viewers in Russia were left out. At least officially.<\/p>\n Along with other studios, Warner Bros., the producer of \u201cBarbie,\u201d stopped releasing movies in Russia shortly after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. But that has not stopped Russian viewers from watching Western films. Last year, Russian theaters were openly screening<\/a> illegal copies of \u201cThe Batman\u201d and \u201cTurning Red.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBarbie\u201d has been no different, with movie theaters employing a workaround to give audiences access to the Western films they want to watch. Russian cinemas in cities large and small are offering viewers tickets for short films or documentaries, but these come with screenings<\/a> of the full effervescent, bubble-gum pink \u201cBarbie\u201d film that technically plays during the previews slot. At least 14 theaters in Moscow were openly offering such screenings on their websites on Wednesday, with tickets about 400 to 500 rubles, or $4 to $5.<\/p>\n The screenings are just one example of how Russians have been forced to improvise after Moscow\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In the wake of the war, the West imposed a host of sanctions on Russia and companies fled the market. The Kremlin has also discouraged these screenings as Moscow seeks to paint an all-encompassing picture of an existential battle with the West.<\/p>\n Movies produced in the United States made up around 70 percent of the Russian film market before the war, according to state media<\/a>. Their exit has caused a crisis among Russian movie theaters, whose revenues dropped by 44 percent from 2021 to 2022, according to Russia\u2019s Association of Theater Owners<\/a>.<\/p>\n The association wrote on its website that it has made repeated pleas to government agencies to issue theaters distribution certificates that allow them to screen films like \u201cBarbie\u201d and \u201cOppenheimer\u201d from \u201cunfriendly countries\u201d without the consent of the copyright owners.<\/p>\n But the Ministry of Culture turned down the request,<\/a> saying that the two films \u201cdo not meet the goals and objectives set by the head of state to preserve and strengthen traditional Russian spiritual and moral values,\u201d and that the Russian box office is \u201csaturated\u201d with domestic films anyway.<\/p>\n This year, the Ministry of Culture announced<\/a> that it would provide financial support only to films focused on one or more of 17 approved themes, including \u201ctraditional values\u201d; \u201cheroism\u201d of Russian soldiers in the war with Ukraine; and \u201cthe degradation of Europe.\u201d The ministry earmarked<\/a> 11.6 billion rubles, or $116 million, for film production.<\/p>\n Some domestic films have successfully attracted large audiences. \u201cCheburashka,\u201d a live-action film based on a popular Soviet cartoon character, became the highest-grossing film at the Russian box office this year, with earnings of about 6.8 billion rubles, or about $68 million. <\/p>\n But others have fallen well below expectations, including \u201cThe Witness,\u201d<\/a> a propaganda film about Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine that premiered in August and had a budget of 200 million rubles, or $2 million. The film made only 14 million rubles, or about $140,000, at the box office.<\/p>\n \u201cThis summer, there isn\u2019t a single major Russian film that could collect even half a billion rubles and enough viewers,\u201d Roman Isaev<\/a>, a member of the theater owners\u2019 association, said in an interview<\/a> with Gazeta, a Russian newspaper.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, a Russian short film called \u201cThree Good Deeds\u201d managed to generate 990 million rubles, or nearly $10 million, in ticket sales since January, according to RBC<\/a>, a Russian business daily. How? \u201cTrailers\u201d played before the 6-minute movie included the full-length movies \u201cAvatar: The Way of Water,\u201d \u201cBarbie\u201d and \u201cOppenheimer.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n