Moscow (Russian Film Business Today) — From the period of December 1, 2005 to November 26, 2006 (i.e. the entire 2006 fiscal year for CIS box office) box office receipts from film distribution in the CIS were $455 million, including $43 million from Ukraine. This is 30,4% more than the figure for 2005, when receipts totaled $349 million including Ukraine. In the previous box office year, citizens of CIS (excluding Ukraine) countries bought 91,842,105 tickets, up from 83,636,977 in 2005.

In 2006, 293 films were released to CIS screens (not including Ukraine). Of these, 89 were in limited release of no more than 20 prints. The average take per movie was $1,406,143, as compared with $1,090,625 in 2005.
83 films crossed the $1 million mark, which is the same number of films as in 2005 (excluding Ukraine). Five blockbusters (Day Watch [Dnevnoy Dozor], Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Ice Age: The Meltdown, Bimmer. Part Two [Bumer. Film vtoroy] and The Da Vinci Code) grossed in CIS (excluding Ukraine) more than $10 million each, while in 2005, there were only three such films.

In 2005, each of 14 distribution companies earned more than $1 million, while in 2006, only 12 companies were able to achieve such results (the company Gelvars was just $40,000 shy of $1 million). Seven distributors earned more than
$10 million each, up from five in 2005. 12 distribution companies in the CIS (not including Ukraine) grossed $408.7 million, which was 99,1% of all box office receipts. The rest of the distributors (0,9%) had to settle with only $3.3 million (in 2005 these figures where 1,7% and $5.3 million, respectively).

For the first time in its history, the company 20th Century Fox CIS / Gemini broke the $100 million barrier and was the top-earning distributor (with 25,7%), having grossed $106.09 million. This is up 37,4% from 2005, when the company was also top dog with $77.23 million. The company's highest grossing film was Day Watch ($31.97 million), which was also the highest grossing film ever in the CIS.
Cascade, which was third in 2005, was second this year with 23,5% and $96.74 million. This was up 107,6% from its 2005 figure of $46.6 million. Cascade's top grosser was Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest ($27.52 million), which was also the highest grossing foreign film ever in CIS distribution.

UIP stayed in the top three (it was second last year) with a gross of $54.08 million. This is up 3,8% from 2005 ($52.12 million). The highest earning film for this distributor was King Kong, which took $9.92 million.
In fourth place (8,1%) was Central Partnership / CP Classics (in 2005 it was fifth) with $33.44 million. This is down 8,4% from their 2005 earnings of $36.5 million. The Russian action film Piranha Hunt [Okhota na piranyu], which grossed $6.24 million with a production budget of $3.1 million, was its biggest cash cow.
Fifth came the Nashe Kino / Caroprokat alliance of companies (6,5%), the combined activity of which brought them $26.96 million. The Russian crime drama Bimmer. Part Two, which had a production budget of $2.5 million, earned $13 million and became their top-grossing film for 2006.

Sixth place (6,5%) belongs to Caro Premier (in 2005 it was fourth), with $26.73 million. This is 28,5% less than it earned in 2005 ($37.39 million). The company's highest grossing film was Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ($7.84 million), which is also the highest grossing Harry Potter film in the CIS.
Paradise was in seventh place (sixth in 2005) with 5,7% and $23.55 million, which was 23,4% more than the company earned in 2005 ($19.09 million). Paradise's top earner was the WWII drama Bastards [Svolochi], which cost $3.8 million to make and took $9.66 million.
West took eighth place with 4,9% (in 2005, the company was in seventh place), earning more than $20 million for the first time in its existence — namely $20.26 million. This is up 58,9% from 2005 ($12.75 million). Its highest grossing film was Perfume: The Story of a Murderer ($9.26 million), which also became the highest grossing European film ever in CIS distribution.

Pyramid took ninth place (2,6%), earning $10.78 million (in 2005, the company was in 11th place). This is up 196,9% from 2005 ($3.63 million). With a take of $2.48 million, the supernatural actioner Underworld: Evolution became the company's highest grossing film ever.
Rounding out the top ten distributors was Caroprokat (1,0%) one of Russia's leading distributors, which caused filmgoers to shell out to the tune of $3.93 million (in 2005 the company was in eighth place). This is 42,7% less than it earned in 2005 ($6.86 million). Caroprokat's top-earning film was the supernatural drama Alive [Zhivoy], which took $3.22 million, having cost $1.6 million to make.

Lizard slithered up to 11th place (0,8%) with $3.19 million (in 2005, it was 12th). This is up 11,9% from 2005 ($2.85 million). The company's top earner was the video game adaptation BloodRayne ($1.07 million). Just like last year, Luxor was in 12th place (0,7%) with $2.96 million. The company made 4,2% more than in 2005 ($2.84 million). Their horror hit The Descent, which took $790,000, was their highest grossing film ever.
The 59 Russian films released in 2006 earned a total of $106 million (25,7% of total CIS box office without Ukraine), which
is 12,8% more than in 2005 ($94 million).
The leader in limited release was Woody Allen's crime drama Match Point (CP Classics), which grossed $358,000 from just five prints.