Russia's Multimillion-Dollar War Propaganda Films Fail to Make Box Office Impact

In an effort to secure a narrative victory alongside its military campaigns, the Russian government has invested heavily in the production of propaganda films that depict the ongoing conflict in Ukraine from a perspective favorable to the Kremlin. A striking example is the feature film 'Svidetel' (Witness), which recounts the initial days of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine through the eyes of a Belgian violinist who comes across staged atrocities attributed to Ukrainian forces. Despite its ambitious attempts to sway public opinion, 'Svidetel' became one of the most notable box office flops, garnering only $70,000 in its first four days on a budget of approximately $2 million.

The film faced not only commercial failure but also critical derision, with scathing reviews dominating its presence on review-aggregator sites. Even with aggressive marketing and a lack of Western cinematic competition due to sanctions, Russian war narratives have struggled to resonate with audiences. This trend is highlighted by the consistent underperformance of films focusing on Russian perspectives of the annexation of Crimea and the conflict in the Donbas region, all failing to make a mark at the box office or in cinematic discourse.

Bombs and Scandals

Despite significant financial allocations from the Russian Culture Ministry—$395 million earmarked for movies embodying nationalist ideologies and depicting 'spiritual leaders and volunteers'—these propaganda pieces have been unable to capture the public's imagination or reap profits. Even when such films were freely distributed on platforms like YouTube, they have fallen short in achieving their intended propagandistic impact.

Notoriously, Crimea, a 2017 melodrama backed by the Russian Defence Ministry, and the slapstick comedy 'The Crimean Bridge – Made with Love', were unable to draw significant audiences, indicating a larger pattern of audience disengagement from state-commissioned cinema.

No more masterpieces

Contrastingly, masterpieces from the Soviet era, such as Sergei Eisenstein's 'Battleship Potemkin' and Alexander Dovzhenko's 'Earth', continue to be celebrated for their pioneering cinematic techniques and artistic language. This nostalgic reverence for the past underscores the present struggle of the Russian film industry to produce content of similar impact. Filmmakers today are perceived to be producing content as a byproduct of ideological manipulation and budget embezzlement, rather than genuine artistic endeavor.

Corruption within the state-funded film industry compounds these challenges, creating a disconnect between allocated budgets and the quality of the films produced. This systemic graft undermines the industry's capacity to create compelling narratives and engage with national history and identity in a meaningful way.

'Profits are not our priority'

In light of these cinematic failures and the changing role of propaganda in national identity construction, profitability seems to have taken a back seat for the institutions behind these films. The core objective has shifted towards promoting national pride and the glorification of Russian traditions and security services. However, the lack of commercial success and critical acclaim raises questions about the effectiveness of such a strategy in today's media landscape.

Meanwhile, conglomerates like Alphabet Inc. GOOG, the parent company of Google, continue to grow as global technology leaders, underscoring the contrast between successful private enterprises and the inefficacy of state-led propaganda initiatives in the digital age.

Russia, propaganda, cinema