Russia's propaganda film about the war in Ukraine was recently released in the country. Unfortunately, the movie "The Witness" wasn't successful as it flopped in cinemas.
Russia-Sponsored Propaganda Movie 'The Witness' Flops!
According to The Guardian's latest report, movie theaters showing Russia's state-sponsored movie titled "The Witness" were usually empty.
The movie is considered to be Kremlin's first featured film about the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
The Russian government is allegedly using the state-sponsored movie to justify why it is invading the European country.
But, "The Witness" wasn't successful as it became a box-office flop. The movie's budget was allegedly roughly $2 million (200 million RUB).
However, during the first two weeks of its showing, "The Witness" only grossed less than $150,000 (14 million RUB).
Russian residents who decided to watch the Kremlin-sponsored movie claimed that cinema halls were empty.
"When I got to the theatre room, I thought the viewing [had] ended because it was so empty," said one of the viewers.
Now, the failure of "The Witness" raises questions about the effectiveness of Russian propaganda movies.
Ivan Philippov, AR Content's creative executive, said that Russian residents are usually bombarded with force-fed propaganda movies and other content.
They usually see these on state television, in schools and universities, as well as on the streets.
"It is no surprise people don't want to spend their own money to see more of the same," added Philippov.
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About Russia's 'The Witness' Movie
Time Magazine said that "The Witness" premiered in Russia on Aug. 17. The movie lasts for around two hours.
In the Russia-sponsored film, Ukrainian troops are depicted as violent neo-Nazis who are killing their own people.
This has been the narrative that Russia has been promoting ever since the invasion of Ukraine began.
The movie revolves around the fictional character named Daniel Cohen; a Belgian violinist who arrived in Kyiv.
In the film, Cohen witnessed inhumane crimes and "bloody provocations" by Ukrainian nationalists. At the end of the movie, Cohen serves as a witness who will tell the truth about Ukrainians.
Of course, these happenings in the movies are false, as explained by movie analysts and other experts.
