In Russia, “Spider-Man” fans, dressed in their favorite superhero costumes, are flocking to cinemas to watch the latest installment of the franchise, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”
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Meanwhile, Sony Pictures stopped showing all its films in Russian cinemas back in 2022, when Russia’s large-scale war against Ukraine began.
About the unofficial screening of the film in Russia writes NBC News.
In Kazan, about 800 kilometers east of Moscow, among the hundreds of people flocking to cinemas was 27-year-old Almir.
He was wearing a Spider-Man costume he made himself – a well-recognized spider symbol was drawn on his red shirt.
“I made it myself because I didn’t have money for the whole costume,” the man told NBC News.
According to him, the demand for the film was so high that he had to book a ticket three weeks in advance.
NBC News did not disclose Almir’s last name, nor did it publish the names of some other interviewed viewers. People were worried that communicating with foreign media could cause problems with the Russian authorities.
The film is shown bypassing the rules
Film critic Timur Aliyev told NBC News that such film screenings violate both Russian and international law, but everyone – from viewers and cinema owners to government authorities – apparently turns a blind eye to it.
“Formally, the cinema has no right to show the film without a distribution certificate,” said T. Aliyev.
However, obtaining such a document is practically impossible because most major Hollywood studios closed their distribution offices in the country after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began.
Therefore, according to the critic, cinemas illegally receive digital film packages through third-party distributors – a standard format used to show films in cinemas. These copies are distributed among themselves, and cinema owners coordinate film release dates among themselves.
Viewers buy tickets for a so-called short film shown under a “preview service.” But in reality, they watch “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” or another Hollywood film in the cinema hall, explained T. Aliyev.
Sony Pictures did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment on the situation.
It seems that the Russian authorities are also not particularly inclined to actively stop such screenings.
The Russian Ministry of Culture did not respond to NBC News’ questions about why cinema owners are not being prosecuted. However, this week, Elena Drapeko, Deputy Chair of the State Duma’s Culture Committee, urged law enforcement to take action against what she called “illegal business activity.”
A Russian singer’s song cut from the film
However, the version of “Spider-Man” shown in Russia differs from the original in one more aspect.
From the copies of the film shown in the country, an 18-second excerpt of the Russian singer Monetochka’s song “Monopoly” was reportedly cut out.
The performer, who openly criticizes Russia’s war in Ukraine, was declared a “foreign agent” by the Russian authorities in 2023. A year earlier, she left Russia for Lithuania.
On the social network Instagram, the singer wrote that she expected such a decision, but the removal of the song was “painful and sad” for her. Meanwhile, fans dressed in Spider-Man costumes shared videos on social networks where this song played in the background.
“Spider-Man” became a matter of choice for Russians
Fans had to wait longer than planned for the film’s release in Russia. Initially, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” was supposed to be released on August 6, but its premiere was postponed by three weeks.
The portal dedicated to the Russian film industry, Cinemaplex, said the decision was made by the distributors of the film “The Last Warrior: Kolobok.”
This decision caused a huge wave of dissatisfaction online. The influential Telegram channel “Ostorozhno Novosti” reported that law enforcement is looking for people who threatened to kill the film’s director Anton Maslov on social networks.
His film is based on one of the most popular Russian folk tales about a living loaf of bread.
Viewers felt they had lost their choice.
According to T. Aliyev, this situation became a symbolic conflict between a state generously funded film about “everything Russian” and a Hollywood film financed by a huge foreign company.
“Viewers felt they had lost their choice,” said the critic.
According to him, such a decision would have been very unpleasant for ordinary moviegoers.
Among them was Maria, an artist living in Saint Petersburg who creates collages. She said that before the new film’s release, she watched older “Spider-Man” parts.
She compared the postponement of the film’s premiere to sitting at a table where “everyone is eating cake,” but you are told to “eat a bowl of breadcrumbs.”
Record weekend
Finally, the film attracted huge interest in Russian cinemas.
The Russian film industry publication Film Distributor’s Bulletin reports that on the first weekend, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” collected 1.17 billion rubles in cinemas – about 13.9 million US dollars.
This was the best summer weekend result in the entire history of Russian cinemas, the publication says.
Almir told NBC News that the film did not disappoint him.
Another viewer compared the film on Instagram to “Coca-Cola,” which can be drunk instead of its Russian counterpart “Dobry Cola,” often rated worse by viewers.
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According to him, the film evoked “nostalgia for everything that used to be good.”
