Russian comedy breaks records
‘Very Best Film’ takes $19.5 million
Variety.com
Wed., Jan. 30, 2008
By NICK HOLDSWORTH
MOSCOW – A Russian comedy that spoofs the country’s recent string of hit
domestic movies broke all box office records to take $19.5 million in
its first week on release, distrib Caroprokat said Wednesday.
`Very Best Film’ (Sammi Luchi Film), which was produced by entertainment
TV channel TNT, was released across Russia and surrounding former Soviet
territories Jan. 24 on 702 copies and took $16.5 million it is first
weekend alone.
The record-breaking average of more than $23,000 a copy marks a new
high-tide mark for box office takings in Russia.
Caroprokat said latest figures Wednesday were $19.5 million and rising
for takings across Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and other parts of the
region where the film is on release.
The spoof, which pokes fun at such local hits as fantasy thriller `Day
Watch’ and Afghan war drama `The 9th Company’ and was produced in
association with popular TNT show `Comedy Club,’ has been seen by more
than 3.5 million viewers so far.
The film was made on a budget of $5 million and promoted through a $5
million advertising campaign that has put posters on billboards, bus
stops, metro stations throughout Russia, in addition to television plugs.
Artak Gasparyan, general producer, said: `We are very happy with the
results. We worked with the most talented actors, scriptwriters and
directors who trusted in the idea and had much know-how about the
domestic market.’
Artur Dzhanibekyan, general producer for Comedy Club Production, paid
tribute to Konstantin Ernst, head of Russia’s First Channel and the key
figure behind such box office hits as `Irony of Fate – Continuation,’
the sequel to a Soviet classic that has done more than $50 million of
business since it opened Dec. 21.
`This was one of the best cinema promotion campaigns and we had great
expert help from Konstantin Ernst.’
Observers say that the film’s phenomenal success may be attributed to
its popularity with the key 14-25 demographic – the same as the bulk of
the viewers of TNT, which airs a mix of domestic and dubbed imports of
comedy, drama and reality shows.
Alexander Semenov, publisher of Russian Film Business Today, told
Variety: `This is the best box office opening ever in Russia. It is just
the sort of film the youngsters that watch TNT like.’
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