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🍿 "Pre-show Services" Become a Goldmine for Cinemas
The phenomenon of "shadow distribution," which emerged following the departure of Western major studios, has become the key factor in the financial survival of Russian cinema chains.
According to an RBC analysis of EAIS (Unified Federal Automated Information System) data, between March 2022 and March 2026, short films used as “cover” for Hollywood blockbusters earned over 7.6 billion RUB at the box office.
Billion-Rouble Shorts
The “pre-show service” scheme is straightforward: a viewer purchases a ticket for an obscure Russian short film, before which a new foreign release is screened “for free.” Over the past four years, the system has recorded nearly 30 such films—listed without an official distributor—whose earnings exceeded 1 million RUB.
Two particular pictures have become absolute record-breakers, crossing the 1 billion RUB threshold:
- Three Good Deeds
- How Much Does a Cloud Weigh?
It was alongside these titles that Russian audiences watched hits like Avatar: The Way of Water, Barbie, and Oppenheimer. As of April 2026, the bulk of the revenue for Three Good Deeds is being driven by unlicensed screenings of the sci-fi action epic Project: Doomsday.
Hollywood Under Its Own Name
Interestingly, the EAIS database also revealed five “standalone” entries for Hollywood films released after 2022 without the involvement of official distributors. These include:
- The Batman (82 million RUB)
- Turning Red (7.3 million RUB)
- Morbius (6.2 million RUB)
According to sources within cinema chains, the real share of Hollywood content for market participants practicing such screenings exceeds 25% of their total box office receipts.
Experts estimate that the momentum of “shadow” distribution remains consistently high. According to Cinemaplex, this gray market accounted for 4.3 billion RUB in 2024 and 2.8 billion RUB in 2025. In the first few months of 2026 alone, revenue has already surpassed 1 billion RUB.
Legal Deadlock
Although screening films without a distribution license is illegal, holding cinemas accountable has proven extremely difficult. Legal experts note that, technically, the law remains unviolated: tickets are sold for films that possess all necessary documentation, and it is this data that is fed into the reporting system. Given the absence of official representatives for foreign copyright holders in the country, the risk of facing lawsuits from Hollywood studios remains virtually non-existent.
Source: RBC
