Because of the multiple sanctions imposed on Russia over its occupation of Ukraine, 20th Century Studios will not release James Cameron’s visual masterpiece on the Russian market. But that won’t and hasn’t stopped Russian cinemagoers from enjoying all of the latest blockbusters, thanks to Russia’s booming black market. With moviemakers and film studios halting operations in Russia, distribution channels that supply cinemas with footage have been all but killed off. This has forced Russia to utilize pirated copies of films without official distribution certificates. According to a recent report from Russian news outlet Izvestia, the screening of pirated versions of Avatar: The Way Of Water is a question of when not if. The outlet cited the example of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which premiered on the same day in Russia as in countries across the world. But these projections are not your average day-one camcorder footage, with low-quality audio and altered visuals. Instead, the black market has blossomed, with Russian cinemas willing to pay upwards of $15,000 for pristine perfect versions that abide by Russian censorship rules. With reports coming out that the Russian Association of Theater Owners has legalized and promised to help distribute pirated copies all over the country, it’s certain Russians will get to see the new Avatar movie. The policy change makes sense, considering the original Avatar movie became the highest-grossing movie in Russia. Netting over 3.6 billion rubles which was equivalent to $120 million in 2009, is probably a good enough reason to do so. The only reason the premiere of the blockbuster has been prolonged so far is to avoid clashing with the release of local family-friendly animated film Cheburashka. At the end of the day, as much as profit-driven Russian cinematography is, guaranteeing a healthier box office for domestically produced content is more important. Speaking of Avatar, the highly-anticipated sequel needs to make at least $2 billion at the global box office to break even. It’ll be the first film to reach the said numbers in the past three years if that happens.
