Facts & Figures - RCW

Facts & Figures

Beginning in 2022, the Russian film industry is confronted with a new reality, to which it continues to gradually adapt in 2023. This year’s first quarter alone generated $236 mln in revenue from 56.6 mln viewers. Domestic film’s share of the total box office reached 74.4% by the end of March, compared to 53% in 2022. In recent years, the number of releases has also increased steadily. Chebi: My Fluffy Friend, which grossed $95.1 mln, was the top-grossing film in Russia in 2023.

Going to the cinema is one of the most popular pastimes in Russia. Even in 2020, amid the pandemic and lockdowns, total box office revenues reached $346.7 million and audience figures, 88 million people. 

    • -59.4% – drop in box office revenues in 2020 compared with 2019 (only Japan had a smaller one at -47%)
    • 5th biggest cinema audience in the world
    • 8th largest box office revenues in the world
    • $3.9 – average ticket price in 2020
0250500750100020162017201820192020346,7854,9816,1921,3728,1

Russian box office, $ mln

0551101652202016201720182019202088219,7201,1214,7194,6
Audience, mln

Usually, Russian content accounts for about 25% of the total box office. In 2020, delays in the release of studio blockbusters were offset with local films, which pushed the share of Russian-produced content to nearly 50% of box office revenues.

025507510020182019202053,17872,546,92227,5
Russian content, % Foreign content, %
17535052570020162017201820192020437544652505547
Number of theatrical releases

2020 box office by genre

ActionAnimationComediesSci-FiRomanticcomediesAdventureDramasHorrorSportThrillersFantasyWarlmsMusic,concertsDocumentary0,09%0,14%1,79%2,25%2,31%2,35%3,77%7,57%9,28%12,56%13,11%14,45%15,08%15,20%

The highest grossing films in 2020, $ mln

  

Distributor

Box office, $ mln

1

Ice 2 (rus)

Sony

$23.354

2

The Gentlemen

Volga

$19.435

3

Invasion (rus)

Sony

$15.589

4

Tenet

Caro Premier

$12.708

5

The Croods: A New Age

Universal

$10.617

#1 Ice 2 (rus)

Distributor

Sony

Box office, $ mln

$23.354 

#2 The Gentlemen

Distributor

Volga

Box office, $ mln

$19.435 

#3 Invasion (rus)

Distributor

Sony

Box office, $ mln

$15.589 

#4 Tenet

Distributor

Caro Premier

Box office, $ mln

$12.708 

#5 The Croods: A New Age

Distributor

Universal

Box office, $ mln

$10.617 

The highest grossing films in 2016-2020, $ mln

  

Distributor

Box office, $ mln

1

3 Seconds (rus)

Central Partnership

$51.671

2

Son of a Rich (rus)

Central Partnership

$49.735

3

The Lion King

Disney

$41.967

4

Avengers: Endgame

Disney

$40.149

5

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Disney

$37.885

6

T-34 (rus)

Central Partnership

$32.730

7

The Secret Life of Pets

Universal

$31.139

8

Avengers: Infinity War

Disney

$30.373

9

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

Disney

$29.835

10

Venom 

Sony

$29.377

#1 3 Seconds (rus)

Distributor

Central Partnership

Box office, $ mln

$51.671 

#2 Son of a Rich (rus)

Distributor

Central Partnership

Box office, $ mln

$49.735 

#3 The Lion King

Distributor

Disney

Box office, $ mln

$41.967 

#4 Avengers: Endgame

Distributor

Disney

Box office, $ mln

$40.149 

#5 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Distributor

Disney

Box office, $ mln

$37.885 

#6 T-34 (rus)

Distributor

Central Partnership

Box office, $ mln

$32.730 

#7 The Secret Life of Pets

Distributor

Universal

Box office, $ mln

$31.139 

#8 Avengers: Infinity War

Distributor

Disney

Box office, $ mln

$30.373 

#9 Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

Distributor

Disney

Box office, $ mln

$29.835 

#10 Venom 

Distributor

Sony

Box office, $ mln

$29.377 

In 2020, six major distributors accounted for 73.3% of the film distribution market in Russia: 

    • Central Partnership (presents its own productions, independent studios and Paramount content)
    • SPPR
    • Caro Premier (until March 2021, presented Warner Bros. content) and Caro Prokat
    • Volga
    • Universal 
    • Walt Disney Studios

The total number of cinema theatres in Russia is 1,968 and the total number of screens is 5,323. 

In 2020, the biggest cinema chains in terms of box office were: 

    • Formula Kino / Cinema Park joint network (14.4%)
    • Kinomax (7.2%)
    • CARO (5.6%)
    • Premier Zal (4.9%)
    • Cinema 5 (4%)
1500300045006000201620172018201920205323559753414930449119682096190716121367
Theatres Screens

The Russian streaming market rose by 29% in the first half of 2022, reaching $25.6 bln. Kinopoisk now holds the title
of the largest online movie theatre. It accounts for over a quarter of the country’s VOD revenues. IVI trails by barely
two percentage points. Okko (14%) completes the top three. With an 83% market share, SVoD is the most popular payment model

  •       market size in 2021 $502.7m
  •       market growth in 2021 56                                                                                                       According to TMT Consulting

Russian VOD market in 2022

Free-to-air TV

One important feature of the Russian media landscape is the continued popularity of free-to-air TV. The time people spend watching TV is decreasing year-on-year but still remains quite substantial.  

In recent years, television has been integrating with other media, adapting TV broadcasting to the digital and cross-platform environment along with improving the quality of signal delivery, which – taken all together – creates a synergy effect aimed at attracting a younger audience and increasing user involvement in watching TV content.

Among other things, this process manifests in the launch of streaming and on-demand viewing both on TV channels’ own internet resources and in online cinemas, the development of HD and 4K technologies, as well as interactive services.

Russia’s most popular federal channels by viewership share in 2022

One distinguishing element of Russian television viewership is that the stations presenting the most popular series and films are not necessarily the ones with the largest audience. TNT channel, which rounds out the country’s top 10 most- watched TV networks, aired the top three most-watched television shows in the first half of the year among viewers aged 14-44 (“Makarov And The Girls”, “Penultimate Instance” and “Sentence And Punishment”). And CTC channel, which is outside the top 5, is the absolute leader in watching limited series within the same viewer segment. The most recent prominent series from the chart’s leaders include “Sklifosofsky 9” (Russia 1), “Saboteur: Perfect Assault” (Channel One)

TV channel

Share, %

Rossiya 1

15.3

Channel One 

9.7

NTV

8.7

Channel Five 

6.0

REN TV

4.8

CTC

4.2

Domashny

4.1

Karusel 

2.7

TNT

3.1

TV-3

2.7

Source: Mediascope

 

Top 10: Most popular films on national TV in 2020 (viewers aged 14-44)

Film title 

TV channel

Broadcast date

Rating, %

Share, %

1

IVAN VASILIEVICH: BACK TO THE FUTURE

Rossiya 1

31.12.2020

6.2

22.2

2

HARRY POTTER AND DEATHLY HALLOWS. PART 2

STS

08.01.2020

6.0

24.5

3

THE IRONY OF FATE, OR ENJOY YOUR BATH!

Channel One 

31.12.2020

5.5

20.7

4

LOVE AND DOVES 

Channel One

31.12.2020

5.3

23.3

5

HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX

CTC

05.01.2020

5.3

22.1

6

HOME ALONE 2

Channel One

02.01.2020

5.3

28.8

7

HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE 

CTC

04.01.2020

5.1

22.5

8

GENTLEMEN OF FORTUNE

Channel One

31.12.2020

4.8

23.3

9

KIDNAPPING CAUCASSIAN STYLE, OR SHURIK’S NEW ADVENTURES

Rossiya 1

31.12.2020

4.7

18.5

10

ONLY OLD MEN ARE GOING TO BATTLE

Channel One

09.05.2020

4.6

24.1

#1

Film title 

IVAN VASILIEVICH: BACK TO THE FUTURE

TV channel

Rossiya 1

Broadcast date

31.12.2020

Rating, %

6.2

Share, %

22.2

#2

Film title 

HARRY POTTER AND DEATHLY HALLOWS. PART 2

TV channel

STS

Broadcast date

08.01.2020

Rating, %

6.0

Share, %

24.5

#3

Film title 

THE IRONY OF FATE, OR ENJOY YOUR BATH!

TV channel

Channel One 

Broadcast date

31.12.2020

Rating, %

5.5

Share, %

20.7

#4

Film title 

LOVE AND DOVES 

TV channel

Channel One

Broadcast date

31.12.2020

Rating, %

5.3

Share, %

23.3

#5

Film title 

HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX

TV channel

CTC

Broadcast date

05.01.2020

Rating, %

5.3

Share, %

22.1

#6

Film title 

HOME ALONE 2

TV channel

Channel One

Broadcast date

02.01.2020

Rating, %

5.3

Share, %

28.8

#7

Film title 

HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE 

TV channel

CTC

Broadcast date

04.01.2020

Rating, %

5.1

Share, %

22.5

#8

Film title 

GENTLEMEN OF FORTUNE

TV channel

Channel One

Broadcast date

31.12.2020

Rating, %

4.8

Share, %

23.3

#9

Film title 

KIDNAPPING CAUCASSIAN STYLE, OR SHURIK’S NEW ADVENTURES

TV channel

Rossiya 1

Broadcast date

31.12.2020

Rating, %

4.7

Share, %

18.5

#10

Film title 

ONLY OLD MEN ARE GOING TO BATTLE

TV channel

Channel One

Broadcast date

09.05.2020

Rating, %

4.6

Share, %

24.1

Source: Mediascope

At the same time, the top 10 most popular films in the 4+ age group for the same year feature a far greater number of new Russian releases and hardly any Hollywood content. The No 1 and No 3 on the list (Son of a Rich and T-34) were shown on TV for the first time ever.

Top 10: Most popular films on national TV in 2020 (viewers aged 4+)

Film title 

TV channel

Broadcast date

Rating, %

Share, %

1

SON OF A RICH

Rossiya 1

04.11.2020

26.22

7.93

2

IVAN VASILIEVICH: BACK TO THE FUTURE

Rossiya 1

31.12.2020

20.07

7.68

3

Т-34

Rossiya 1

09.05.2020

26.71

6.96

4

LOVE AND DOVES

Channel One

31.12.2020

19.80

6.64

5

KIDNAPPING CAUCASSIAN STYLE, OR SHURIK’S NEW ADVENTURES

Rossiya 1

31.12.2020

17.66

6.45

6

THE LAST WARRIOR 

Rossiya 1

01.01.2020

17.75

6.31

7

ONLY OLD MEN ARE GOING TO BATTLE

Channel One

09.05.2020

21.17

6.20

8

THE IRONY OF FATE, OR ENJOY YOUR BATH!

Channel One

31.12.2020

15.70

5.87

9

GENTLEMEN OF FORTUNE

Channel One

31.12.2020

17.74

5.38

10

HOME ALONE 2

Channel One

02.01.2020

19.07

5.11

#1

Film title 

SON OF A RICH

TV channel

Rossiya 1

Broadcast date

04.11.2020

Rating, %

26.22

Share, %

7.93

#2

Film title 

IVAN VASILIEVICH: BACK TO THE FUTURE

TV channel

Rossiya 1

Broadcast date

31.12.2020

Rating, %

20.07

Share, %

7.68

#3

Film title 

T-34

TV channel

Rossiya 1

Broadcast date

09.05.2020

Rating, %

26.71

Share, %

6.96

#4

Film title 

LOVE AND DOVES

TV channel

Channel One

Broadcast date

31.12.2020

Rating, %

19.8

Share, %

6.64

#5

Film title 

KIDNAPPING CAUCASSIAN STYLE, OR SHURIK’S NEW ADVENTURES

TV channel

Rossiya 1

Broadcast date

31.12.2020

Rating, %

17.66

Share, %

6.45

#6 

Film title 

THE LAST WARRIOR 

TV channel

Rossiya 1

Broadcast date

01.01.2020

Rating, %

17.75

Share, %

6.31

#7

Film title 

ONLY OLD MEN ARE GOING TO BATTLE

TV channel

Channel One

Broadcast date

09.05.2020

Rating, %

21.17

Share, %

6.2

#8

Film title 

THE IRONY OF FATE, OR ENJOY YOUR BATH!

TV channel

Channel One

Broadcast date

31.12.2020

Rating, %

15.7

Share, %

5.87

#9

Film title 

GENTLEMEN OF FORTUNE

TV channel

Channel One

Broadcast date

31.12.2020

Rating, %

17.74

Share, %

5.38

#10

Film title 

HOME ALONE 2

TV channel

Channel One

Broadcast date

02.01.2020

Rating, %

19.07

Share, %

5.11

Source: Mediascope

Top 5: Most popular TV series on national TV in 2020 in the 14-44 age group in cities with a population of 100,000+ on the basis of the average rating for all episodes

Project 

TV channel

Number of episodes

Rating, %

Share, %

1

Olga (season 4)

TNT

17

3.7

19.6

2

Ivanko

TNT

17

3.5

16.7

3

Patriot 

TNT

17

3.1

14.6

4

Papik

CTC

16

3.0

15.9

5

Pereval Dyatlova 

TNT

8

3.0

16.0

#1

Project 

Olga (season 4)

TV channel

TNT

Number of episodes

17

Rating, %

3.7

Share, %

19.6

#2

Project 

Ivanko

TV channel

TNT

Number of episodes

17

Rating, %

3.5

Share, %

16.7

#3

Project 

Patriot 

TV channel

TNT

Number of episodes

17

Rating, %

3.1

Share, %

14.6

#4

Project 

Papik

TV channel

CTC

Number of episodes

16

Rating, %

3.0

Share, %

15.9

#5

Project 

Pereval Dyatlova 

TV channel

TNT

Number of episodes

8

Rating, %

3.0

Share, %

16.0

Source: Mediascope

Top 5: Most popular TV series on national TV in 2020 in the 4+ age group in cities with a population of 100,000+ on the basis of the average rating for all episodes

Project 

TV channel

Number of episodes

Rating, %

Share, %

1

Zuleikha Opens Her Eyes

Rossiya 1

8

6.4

20.0

2

Ferrywoman

Rossiya 1

16

6.0

19.1

3

Magomayev

Channel One

8

4.8

16.5

4

Kazanova

Channel One

8

4.8

16.2

5

Spasskaya

Rossiya 1

8

4.7

18.7

#1

Project 

Zuleikha Opens Her Eyes

TV channel

Rossiya 1

Number of episodes

8

Rating, %

6.4

Share, %

20.0

#2

Project 

Ferrywoman

TV channel

Rossiya 1

Number of episodes

16

Rating, %

6.0

Share, %

19.1

#3

Project 

Magomayev

TV channel

Channel One

Number of episodes

8

Rating, %

4.8

Share, %

16.5

#4

Project 

Kazanova

TV channel

Channel One

Number of episodes

8

Rating, %

4.8

Share, %

16.2

#5

Project 

Spasskaya

TV channel

Rossiya 1

Number of episodes

8

Rating, %

4.7

Share, %

18.7

Source: Mediascope

Pay TV

Pay TV is the second most widespread delivery method for audiovisual content in Russia. Unlike free-to-air television, pay TV services are provided for a subscription fee. Content is delivered through three different technologies: cable TV (40% of subscribers in 2020), satellite TV (38% of subscribers in 2020) and IPTV (22% of subscribers in 2020).

In 2020, pay TV subscriber base grew by 1.8%, to 46.2 million households (according to TMT Consult).

By the end of 2020, pay TV penetration rate exceeded 81.5%. Operators’ revenue grew by 2%.

Pay TV channels’ average revenue per user (ARPU) is $2.6 a month. 

Russia’s pay TV scene is dominated by five main operators, which account for 75% of the market: Tricolor (27% of subscribers), Rostelecom (23% of subscribers), MTS (9% of subscribers), ER-Telecom (8% of subscribers) and Orion (7% of subscribers).