Мінскі кінатэатр "Масква". Фота: onliner
Russian films account for more than 30% of the total cinema distribution market in Belarus. This was reported by Uladzimir Karacheuski, CEO of Kinovideoprokat, a company operated by the Minsk City Executive Committee.
The statement was made during the Minsk International Film Festival Listapad, which held a Russian Cinema Day on November 4.
“We have always been united with Russia. As a representative of the film distribution industry, I can say that Russian cinema has never left our screens. Russian films account for more than 30% of our cinema distribution market. I think that is a very good figure,” Karacheuski said.
According to him, all new films released in Russia also make it onto screens in Belarus.
The CEO of Kinovideoprokat also highlighted the active participation of Russian films in the festival’s competition programme. Of the more than 130 films selected, 38 were produced in Russia.
Karacheuski also noted that the company, together with the representative office of Rossotrudnichestvo in Belarus and Roskino, organizes not only commercial screenings but also themed events, such as film days and nights. Particular attention is given to screenings of Russian films for children and joint Belarusian-Russian and Soviet productions.
It should be noted that domestic films accounted for 16–17% of all screenings in Belarus at the end of 2025, up from just 3–5% previously. American films accounted for 30–35% of total screenings, followed by European and Asian cinema.
However, the rankings of films shown in Minsk tell a somewhat different story. The leading titles are action films, comedies and thrillers from the United States, Japan and South Korea, while “Harry Potter” remains popular. The top Russian films include the historical drama “The Birth of an Empire”, about Peter the Great, and “The Battle of Engines”, about the creation of the first Russian mass-produced car. No Belarusian films made it into the rankings of the most successful or popular titles.