MOSCOW, January 18. /TASS/. The total cinema box office in Russia has increased by 55% in the past five years, while the Russian movies’ revenues have grown by 120%, Russian Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky told reporters.

"In the past five years, the total cinema box office in Russia have grown from 35 to 54 bln rubles ($617 to 952 mln), which marks a nearly 55% rise," he said. "The box office revenues of the Russian movies have increased by 120% since 2011," Medinsky added.

For reference, the culture minister cited statistics showing that in 2017, the US cinema industry showed the worst results in 20 years, as box office revenues proved to be less compared to those recorded in the 1990s. "Our market has been growing at a significant pace, despite the crisis, and one of the reasons for that is the government’s work and our policy aimed at promoting the film industry," Medinsky pointed out. He added that movie theaters had been opening in small towns and even at museums. The minister said that Moscow’s State Tretyakov Gallery had already set up three cinema halls, while there were plans to establish a movie theater at the Victory Museum.

"The Russian pictures’ box office has grown by 120% since 2011," Medinsky went on to say, noting that it was twice as high as the total market growth. "It is a direct result of the government’s activities, multiplied by the talent of our filmmakers," he said, stressing that such a success had been achieved in a free market situation when there was neither state protectionism nor restrictions on the distribution of Hollywood flicks.

When speaking about the scope of the Russian film industry, Medinsky said that in 2011, its box office revenues were recorded at 5.9 bln rubles ($104 mln), while in 2017 the amount exceeded 13 bln rubles ($229 mln). "We will continue to work in the interests of the Russian film industry but not in the interests of Hollywood," the culture minister concluded.