Sanctions aren’t keeping name brands out of Russia. Why not? – By Fred Weir (CS Monitor) / Feb 2, 2023
The sanctions imposed after Russia invaded Ukraine were supposed to prevent it. But Russian audiences have been enjoying “Avatar: The Way of Water,” James Cameron’s new blockbuster film, much as they have most Hollywood movies in recent decades.
It’s the sort of thing that wasn’t supposed to be possible after the West cut economic ties with Russia. Big Western film companies withdrew from the Russian market, and local distributors were stripped of their licenses to show almost all Western movies.
But while the mechanics have changed, the end result is similar. Big movie halls are rented out to another company, often representing itself as a “film club.” That company then sells tickets for a short Russian-made film, but then also shows the more than three-hour-long “Avatar” movie “for free.” Experts describe the quality as top notch, and the showings are widely advertised.
Welcome to the Russian consumer economy a year into the war.
