Russia's September box-office winner: the 2008 movie 'Twilight'
The 2008 vampire film 'Twilight' topped Russia's box office in September after a theatrical rerelease, beating out two new releases. It's the first time an older film has led the monthly chart since tracking began.
The 2008 vampire romance 'Twilight,' starring Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, was the highest-grossing film in Russian theaters in September, according to RBC, citing data from the Russian Cinema Fund's Unified Automated Information System (EAIS).
The film returned to Russian screens on September 17 and has already earned 340 million rubles. That put it ahead of two new releases: 'How Ivan Ended Up in a Fairy Tale,' which brought in 296 million rubles, and 'The Ninth Planet,' which earned 183 million.
Per the data cited by RBC, this marks the first time an older film has claimed the top spot in a monthly box-office ranking since the EAIS system began tracking all Russian theatrical revenue in 2015.
Maria Shcherbal, director of research firm Wanta Group, told RBC that nearly half of the audience for the rerelease was between 18 and 24 years old. She said word of mouth was a major factor: in the film's second week, 36% of viewers said they'd heard about it on social media, 29% from friends or acquaintances, and one in five cited recommendations as a reason for going.
The rest of the 'Twilight' saga is set to return to Russian theaters in stages between October and February.
