MOSCOW, January 31, /ITAR-TASS/. “Viy”, a Russia-made horror film based on Nikolai Gogol’s story of the same name, collected record high box-office receipts - 89.5 million roubles, on the first day of run at Moscow cinemas on January 30, 2014 compared to “Stalingrad” which earned 83 million roubles on the first day, the Bulletin of Film Distributor and the Film Business Today portal reported on Friday.

“Viy” is expected to collect about 540 million roubles during the first weekend.

"The effect of expectancy certainly played its role. That forced young people to rush to movie houses on the first day of the run. The film has become a landmark in Russian film industry and is expected to attract huge audiences,” the bulletin says.