Filmgoers should have to pay more to see Hollywood films, says Russian Culture Minister

Russian Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky has told lawmakers that cinemagoers should pay more to watch Hollywood films, in a bid to support Russia’s film industry.

Mr Medinsky put forward his argument yesterday when addressing the deputies of the Russian State Duma, using the relatively pitiful budget for Russian cinema as a starting point: the entire state budget for Russian cinema is less than half the budget for a single Hollywood film such as The Fast and the Furious 8, he explained.

“Currently a ticket for a Hollywood movie and one for a Russian movie costs the same — 230 rubles ($4) — and that’s wrong,” he said, calling for measures to protect domestic cinema from “unequal competition from Hollywood”.

In recent years, Russian films have attracted extremely low viewing rates compared to their US counterparts. According to Communist Russian MP and film director Vladimir Bortko, 156 Russian films were shown in Russian cinemas in 2016, but they accounted for just 18% of film audiences.

Source: BBC News