Remakes of "The Irony of Fate", Cheburashka without the Gene and the crisis in cinemas: the most discussed cultural events of 2022

In 2022, Western attempts to cancel Russian culture, as well as the exit of major Hollywood studios from the Russian market, were actively discussed. Traditionally, the focus of Russian attention has been on both the largest and most controversial film premieres - the tapes "The Heart of Parma" and "Cheburashka", as well as remakes of the classic film "Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!". Also, many were stunned by the sudden death of the vocalist of the Laskovy May group, Yuri Shatunov.

Departure of American film and music studios

Shortly after the start of the special operation in Ukraine, The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros., Sony, Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures stopped their activities in Russia and suspended the distribution of new films.

In addition, video services Netflix, HBO, Apple TV and others have stopped broadcasting.

In July, one of the world's leading technology companies in the entertainment sector, IMAX, announced its withdrawal from Russia.

Following the studios, foreign record companies Warner Music Group, Sony Music and Universal Music Group, as well as music platforms Apple Music and Spotify, left.

Although YouTube Music is available for listening, the premium subscription for Russians is disabled.

Russian users of music services switched to domestic analogues, and viewers switched to Russian streaming platforms START, KION, Wink, Okko and Premier.

On the one hand, the situation contributed to an increase in the amount of online content, on the other hand, it led to a crisis in the cinema market.

The programs to support the domestic film industry developed by the Ministry of Culture, as well as subsidies allocated to the capital's cinemas by the Moscow authorities, ensured a slight increase in profits.

And in October, the Association of Cinema Owners held an emergency meeting, at which the market situation was recognized as "critical and wearing an emergency and unavoidable character under the given conditions."

Already by October, more than 160 cinemas were closed due to the current crisis.

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© Alexander Kryazhev

Cancellation culture

After the start of the SVO, many Russian artists faced a boycott in the field of culture.

In the West, a full-scale discussion has unfolded about the cancellation of works by Russian authors and composers, as well as the prevention of Russian artists from participating in various events.

The European Broadcasting Union announced the exclusion of the Russian delegation from the Eurovision Song Contest in 2022, and in the United States they refused the traditional performance of the Pyotr Tchaikovsky Overture on the country's Independence Day, in Italy, Russian violinists were excluded from the music competition.

In Finland, the artist was banned from performing on The Voice of Finland show due to dual, Finnish-Russian citizenship.

In addition, director Philip Los was fired from the Estonian Russian Drama Theater, who condemned the pressure on the Russians, the Metropolitan Opera and the Bavarian State Opera suspended Anna Netrebko from participating in their productions due to the singer's unwillingness to publicly condemn the actions of the Russian government regarding the SVO.

Later, the artist returned to the European stage and gave a number of big concerts.

The directorate of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra dismissed chief conductor Valery Gergiev, director of the Mariinsky Theatre, and People's Artist of the USSR Vladimir Spivakov was removed from the leadership of the International Music Festival in Colmar (France).

He held this position for over 30 years.

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© Zamir Usmanov

Scandalous statements by Alla Pugacheva

In the center of attention of the media and users of social networks in 2022, People's Artist of the USSR Alla Pugacheva often turned out to be together with her husband, TV presenter and humorist Maxim Galkin*.

Because of Galkin's statements on social networks about the Russian army, he was included in the register of persons performing the functions of a foreign agent.

Pugacheva supported her husband and, through social networks, turned to the Ministry of Justice with a request to add her to the list of foreign agents.

“Appeal to the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation.

I ask you to enroll me in the ranks of foreign agents of my beloved country, because I am in solidarity with my husband, an honest, decent and sincere person, a true and incorruptible patriot of Russia, who wishes the Motherland prosperity, peaceful life, freedom of speech and an end to the death of our children for illusory goals that make our outcast country and complicate the lives of our citizens, ”the singer wrote on her Instagram page **.

Pugacheva's fans, as well as colleagues in show business, were divided into two camps: some condemned the artist for her statements, believing that she feels her "impunity" and "overestimates her influence", while others supported the singer, noting that this is exactly how she should act as a "real wife".

The artist herself called the people who criticize her "serfs" who "became slaves."

In the fall, information appeared that Pugacheva left Russia for Israel and put up a house in the Moscow region for sale.

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© Genrietta Peryan

The death of Yuri Shatunov and the new "Tender May"

Fans of the Laskovy May group, as well as colleagues and friends of the artists, were stunned by the death of singer Yuri Shatunov from a massive heart attack.

He died on June 23 at the age of 49.

A few months later, it became known about the plans of the group's producer Andrei Razin to resume the activities of the group with a new line-up.

In addition, he stated that soon all information related to Shatunov and the group would be removed from the network, with the exception of materials on his official channels.

Fans of "Tender May" reacted negatively to this news and noted that Shatunov was a legend, and new artists would not be able to repeat his success.

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© Ekaterina Chesnokova

Cheburashka without a crocodile

"Cheburashka" - the upcoming film by Dmitry Dyachenko (franchise "The Last Hero", "Kitchen in Paris") is released on screens on January 1, 2023.

In it, the eared animal will be in a seaside town, where he will become a participant in various adventures.

The teaser trailer of the tape caused many nostalgia and was pleased that the authors of the film made the hero an animal, and not a human-like character.

However, already in the full-fledged trailer, the appearance of Cheburashka has changed markedly.

Users in the comments under the video demanded "to return the old Cheburashka", which, according to them, "looked great" and "authentic", and the new one was called "ugly" and compared with the first version of the Hollywood hedgehog Sonic.

In addition, some users were upset by the absence of one of the significant characters in the original fairy tale by Eduard Uspensky, the crocodile, in the tape.

Gena, the gardener, played by Sergei Garmash, will appear instead.

Remakes of Christmas classics

In 2022, an American remake of Eldar Ryazanov's film The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath! was released.

and another one, Russian, was announced.

The premiere of Marius Weisberg's film "The Irony of Fate in Hollywood" took place in early autumn.

The romantic comedy starring Emma Roberts and Thomas Mann failed at the box office, grossing just over $500,000 on a budget of $15 million. In general, the project turned out to be more of a free interpretation than a remake of Soviet classics.

In October, the TNT channel announced the New Year's film "The Self-Irony of Fate!", In which there will be 70 versions of Zhenya Lukashin - Pavel Volya, Timur Batrutdinov, Andrey Gaidulyan and others will play him.

Filmmakers promise a parody of other famous films and music videos.

Mikhail Galustyan, Azamat Musagaliev, Garik Martirosyan, Sergey Zhukov, Yana Koshkina, Klava Koka, Denis Dorokhov, Anna Khilkevich, Marina Kravets, Marina Fedunkiv, Lyasyan Utyasheva and others will also appear in the tape.

The news caused a negative reaction from many users of Runet.

Actress Maria Shukshina criticized the project, calling it "an attack of bad taste and lack of ideas in show business."

But there were also those who supported the film.

Actor Yuri Stoyanov noted that you should not scold the picture in advance, which has not even been released yet.

“I just hope that the people I love very much, any characters from the Comedy Club, and especially Pasha Volya and Timur Batrutdinov, will not abuse my love.

And everything will be done cheerfully, witty, with their inherent humor.

I can wish them that this New Year's joke, unlike most similar programs, does not turn, as they said in Soviet times, into product No. 2 and does not become a one-time thing, ”said Stoyanov.

The premiere of the tape will take place on December 31.

* Recognized as a foreign agent by decision of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation dated September 16, 2022.

** Meta product, activity recognized as extremist, banned in Russia by decision of the Tverskoy Court of Moscow dated 03/21/2022