In the ðeriod from JANUARY to 24 FEBRUARY 2008, Russian distributors released 26 films to CIS screens. Six of these were in limited release of no more than 30 prints. Total box office for the period was $104.95 million, which is 11.9% more than in January 2008 ($91.3 million) and 283.7% more than in February 2007 ($27.35 million). In February 2008, CIS citizens (not including Ukrainians) bought 16,146,154 admissions, which is 171.6% more than in February 2007 (5,945,652). As of 24 February, total CIS box office was $201.4 million, which is 62.7% more than in the same period in 2007 ($123.8 million).

The top ten companies in February were: 1. Caro Premier / Caroprokat – $20.28 million; 2. Central Partnership / CP Classic – $10.24 million; 3. 20th Century Fox CIS – $9.28 million; 4. Paradise – $4.26 million; 5.UPI – $3.23 million; 6. Nashe Kino / Caroprokat – $2.77 million; 7. West – $2.56 million; 8. Cascade – $1.40 million; 9. Top Film – $0.64 million and 10. Panorama – $0.39 million.

In February, eight more films were added to the list of films earning more than $1 million, for a total of 30. There were 27 such films in the same period in 2007.

The top ten highest-grossing films were: The Very Best Film (Caroprokat) – $11.01 million (total gross $27.49 million), Asterix at the Olympic Games (Central Partnership) – $8.94 million, I Am Legend (Caro Premier) – $8.83 million, Jumper (20th Century Fox CIS) – $6.77 million, Montana (Paradise) – $2.88 million, We Are From the Future (Nashe Kino / Caroprokat) – $2.77 million, P.S., I Love You (West) – $2.28 million, Cloverfield (UPI) – $1.93 million (total gross $5.67 million), Rambo (Paradise) – $1.70 million (total box office $3.28 million), Meet the Spartans (20th Century Fox CIS) – $1.26 million.

The leader in limited release was the melodrama My Blueberry Nights (CP Classic), which took $216,880 off ten prints in 11 days. The competition between two Russian films ended in favor of Irony of Fate: The Sequel (20th Century Fox CIS). With a budget of $5 million, Timur Bekmambetov’s New Year’s picture grossed $49.81 million in the CIS, becoming the highest-grossing film ever in CIS distribution. The $5 million parody The Very Best Film (Caroprokat) had to make do with $27.49 million, becoming the Caroprokat’s highest-grossing release ever.