News from Russia

In 2008 Russia started out with 31 screens equipped for digital projection, located in 27 complexes. The baptism of the new technology had taken place in November 2006 at the Zanievski Cascade cinema in St. Petersburg. Immediately afterwards digital became available to audiences in Moscow and is now also in other important places, from Togliattigrad and Samara, in the Volga region, up to Vladivostok on the Sea of Japan.
“Today digital screens represent around 2% of the new generation of screens in Russia which, at 31 December, numbered 1,495 and were distributed in 645 sites,” states Ksenya Leontyeva, the Nevafilm analyst.
The factor that has influenced the spread of digital is 3D projection, particularly with the release of Beowulf at the end of 2007. The business results seem flattering: “The price of tickets sold for stereoscope projections is around 70% higher than average,” states Oleg Berezin, Director General of Nevafilm. “Digital, and in particular 3D,” he continues, “is the area in which we shall see most development. The growth rate of traditional screens is now slower than it was in the 2004/2005 period, marked in Russia by a yearly growth rate of 30%. The big cities now appear as markets close to saturation point. To attract more spectators, the new technologies are a crucial factor: industrialists in the Russian film and cinema sector, who are young, dynamic and possess the necessary capital, are well aware of this and are acting accordingly.”

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