what do you think, what topics to choose, to guarantee success for hire outside of Russia?
I’m Sure that’s not the plot of the film, and in response to the question about who you’re shooting a movie. Will lead as example movies, Russian movies open a window to the world. This is the first “Burnt by the sun” and “the Barber of Siberia”. “Burnt by the sun” has collected 4 million dollars for a movie festival a very good result, and “the Siberian Barber” has managed to collect 8.6 million dollars – a very good indicator for the domestic pioneer blockbuster. The subsequent conquerors of the international film market, too, relied not on plot or theme of the film, and the potential audience, a broad audience. They set the bar high for ourselves the quality and artistic merits of the films. A second wave of interest in Russian cinema in the world associated with paintings by Andrei Zvyagintsev and Alexandra by Alexander Sokurov. After the international success of “Return” and “Faust,” we realized that Russian cinema is necessary for someone outside Russian-speaking world. Mikhalkov, Zvyagintsev and Sokurov in varying degrees, prone to social cinema, although they belong to different aesthetic contexts. After the Director Timur Bekmambetov has proved that Russia is able to shoot fantastic blockbuster movies that are in demand abroad. Total foreign charges of “Night watch” and “Day watch” accounted for 24.8 million dollars.
the highest grossing Russian film in foreign box office has become a historical Thriller 2007 “Mongol”. In world hire it has collected 26.5 million, of which $ 5.7 million go to the US. How do you think the secret to the success of the film by Sergei Bodrov?
Here came together several decisive factors. First – absolutely Hollywood format in which filmed “Mongol”. You know, if I didn’t know that in the Director’s chair Sergey Vladimirovich, I would have thought that the painting was removed someone from Hollywood masters. The second factor – the correct marketing promotion and positioning in each country. Third, the excellent scenario. And the fourth is international experience of the Director. By the way, any expert from the great movie will tell you that shooting a historical film involves great risk. First, it is difficult to find investors, then you may experience problems with distributors and distributors and as a result, the picture could fail at the box office. However, with “Mongol” everything turned out exactly the opposite. And this once again confirms my idea that to succeed in the world hire is important, not the specific plot, and the coincidence of many factors, which make up the quality of the film.
One of the most cash Russian films – “moving up” in world hire has collected less than “Mongol”, is only 15 million dolladitch. Is a biopic about Genghis Khan, the foreign audience is more interesting beautiful sports drama?
did you know that Americans still believe that they are the match is not lost? They abandoned Olympic silver medals and did not consider the Soviet national team champion. For them the outcome of the Games in Munich as if erased from history. Therefore, it was clear that the US “moving up”, to put it mildly, do not wait. But it is characteristic of Americans, not the authors. But 13.2 million dollars in international box-office the film earned China. The people of China on the wave of popularity the very tall basketball player in the history of the Yao Mina is very fond of the film about the victory over the Americans, equipped with a beautiful image of socialist symbolism. The filmmakers definitely took into account that in China for nearly 10 years, there has been a surge of interest in basketball and look like basketball players, Soviet-style sports Thriller beat the Americans, for viewers from China is a pleasure.
the Success of Russian animation has long been no surprise. You too?
You are about overseas box office for “the Snow Queen – 3”, which amount to 19 million dollars? I was rather surprised why a cartoon in Russia and the CIS has collected a little more than $ 5 million, and in China and 11.5 million of Course, we must consider the fact that it is a product of joint Russian-Chinese production, but the difference at the box office is still enormous. The first two parts of the franchise have been good in our domestic rental, but it is the third release seriously shot outside the post-Soviet space. In this fourth part of the project in China has collected 3.2 million dollars, and in Russia and the CIS – 2,9 million
If you remember, in the history of domestic animation has already been the successful experience of the immortal film adaptation of Andersen’s fairy tales. Soviet masterpiece in 1957 received the most prestigious international prizes, including at Cannes and Venice festivals, and pushed the then minor Hayao Miyazaki to choose a profession of animator. In the twenty-first century, this story once again brought dividends to our animated film, but the plot was very much revised and enlarged. In fact, the franchise has taken from Andersen and several characters, all other characters and storyline are original creation by contemporary authors. In addition, overseas has never been a good adaptation of the famous tale – quite possibly due to the success of the Soviet cartoon.
Why the highest-grossing adaptation of Russian literature is still “Night watch”, based on a novel by Sergei Lukyanenko?
frankly: costume multi-million dollar film adaptation of novels of Russian classics is not a guarantee of commercial success either in Russia or abroad. But little known in miroom scale Russian fantasy novel – is not material for the experiment? Especially if he falls into the hands of Timur Bekmambetov, with his Hollywood experience. As a result, 18 million dollars in world hire. “Day watch” has collected much less to 6.8 million, but it happened just due to the fact that successfully carried out the experiment a second time may not shoot. Also, remember how fans of the writer criticized both the film adaptation for frivolous treatment of text books and deviation from literary ideas. However, Bekmambetov knew how to digest the book material that the film he conquered the people from different countries.
Let’s fantasize: what movie could be a success abroad, if actively promoted in the international film market?
oddly enough, but it’s “Cargo 200” Alexey Balabanov. This film is definitely underrated. In Russia he has a scandalous reputation. Many of our compatriots believe that in the film evil defeats good and so it is impossible to watch. Anyway, outside of our country picture few know. In 2007, “Cargo 200” could get at the 60th Cannes film festival, where it won the drama “4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days”, which many domestic critics called Romanian “Cargo 200” because of the similarity in the depiction of the grim realities of socialist countries in the 80-ies. The art-house film about illegal abortion has grossed almost $ 9 million. “Cargo 200” with its accurate portrayal of the chthonic reality of the time, too, could raise substantial cash.
last year, the series “Kept” by Konstantin Bogomolov, was bought by an American online service Amazon Prime, and earlier series “the Method” and “Major” was purchased online cinema Netflix. How can we explain this interest? Does the foreign audience again I want to learn about modern Russia?
the Series producer Alexander Tsekalo became pioneers is a large international online platforms. It happened just three years ago, so too early to talk about the phenomenon, but we can talk about the trend. It is important to note that in addition to the mentioned “Method” and “Posh”, which was made in the still out of reach for Russian TV quality, Netflix has bought the rights for another four series, produced with the participation Tsekalo, – “Fartsa”, “Sparta”, “Locusts” and “Territory”. And recently Amazon Prime bought the rights to the Russian TV series “Melodrama” with comedian Sergey Baranovym.
you Know, in Russian culture sometimes appear creators and works that are ahead of time. This happened in the visual arts, music, literature, movies in the 90’s and zero. But now have the opportunity to enter the world markets with the help of online resources. Ahead of the development of Russian television series broke Wednesday that they earn��ayut. The choice of foreign producers of digital platforms settled on a distinctive, original and qualitatively made the TV series, which, again, the determining factor was not the plot per se, but the work as a whole.
