Russian Box Office: “Gran Turismo” on Top, “Strange World” Loses Audience

The high-octane racing drama “Motor Battle,” featuring Ivan Yankovsky and Yura Borisov, surged to the top of the Russian box office within just days of its theatrical debut.

According to data from EAIS, the film had already grossed 132 million rubles by Saturday morning, with projections suggesting it could surpass 270 million rubles by the end of the weekend. The production budget for the project stands at 1.3 billion rubles.

Set in the early 20th century, the narrative follows the development of the “Russo-Balt,” Russia’s first mass-produced automobile, brought to life by racing enthusiast Andrei Nagel and engineer Dmitry Bondarev. Facing potential cancellation of the project, Nagel stakes everything on the legendary Monte Carlo Rally to prove the car’s engineering prowess.

Directed by Ilya Malanin (“The Abnormal”), the film also features supporting performances from Paulina Andreeva and Alexey Guskov, with a screenplay penned by Andrei Kurganov (“Prophet: The Story of Alexander Pushkin”).

Meanwhile, the domestic sci-fi blockbuster “The Ninth Planet,” also starring Borisov, continues to see a significant drop in its theatrical performance. Since its premiere on September 24, the film has managed to gross only 343 million rubles, according to official reports. It appears increasingly unlikely that the film will recoup its 850 million ruble production budget.

Based on the novel by Igor Tkachenko, the film follows Dima Khrust, an auto mechanic haunted by visions of a mysterious Ninth Planet. The feature marks the directorial debut of Nikolai Rybnikov.

Photo credit: Central Partnership

Source: Film.ru