Russian distributors postponed Spider-Man to clear the way for ‘Kolobok.’ In St. Petersburg, the seats are still empty.

Russian film distributors postponed Spider-Man to clear the theatrical field for their animated film, Kolobok, but the gambit has spectacularly backfired. Per Meduza, the film's screenings in Saint Petersburg drew near-total indifference: five showings sold zero tickets on opening Friday, August seventh, twenty auditoriums sat empty on Sunday, August ninth, and twenty-eight more had no sales the following day. Theaters continue showing Kolobok regardless, because distributors have signaled they will withhold access to bigger hits if cinemas refuse. Despite the empty seats, Kolobok grossed over two hundred forty-four point five million rubles in its opening weekend—a stated record for the Russian summer box office—even as audiences tanked its online ratings and state television filed complaints against critics, alleging they had threatened the film's creators.

Listen to this story

Hear this and more stories in a personalized audio briefing.

Open The Chonkerton