Dracula was ordered: Besson's erotic thriller topped the box office again

Luc Besson's "Dracula" once again topped the Russian box office. Over the past weekend, according to the EAIS, the film earned another 108 million rubles. There is also a "Long Walk" in the top. The horror film based on Stephen King's first novel took the second place in the box office with 103 million and became the best novelty of the weekend. The cartoon "Zveropoezd" and the movie "Alter" with "Harry Potter" star Tom Felton and Russian actor Igor Zizhikin are at the top. Izvestia estimated the preliminary box office results for the weekend.

Love to be afraid

With the arrival of autumn, films capable of collecting more than a hundred million rubles per weekend have returned to the Russian box office. Luc Besson's "Dracula" made a brilliant start last week, collecting 102.5 million. And last weekend, an erotic thriller starring handsome Caleb Landry Jones, according to the EAIS (Unified Federal Automatic Information System for information about movie Screenings in cinemas. — Ed.), earned almost 108 million. In two weeks of rental, "Dracula" has already collected 263 million rubles. Luc Besson's painting has every chance of reaching a billion in a month. Success lies not only in the name of the director.

The script for the film adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel was written by Luc Besson himself. For him, Count Dracula is above all a devoutly in love person. He can wait 400 years to see that one again. According to the story, Prince Vlad II, Count Dracula, returning from the victorious war he waged in the name of the church, learns of the death of his beloved Princess Elizabeth. Heartbroken, he is angry at God, who has robbed him of his most precious thing. After learning that the princess may one day be reborn, he renounces everything, condemning himself to immortality. After 400 years of waiting, Dracula meets his love again in the guise of a young Mina.

Horror movies attract viewers. And when a thriller based on Stephen King's book The Long Walk appears on the poster, it's a signal for fans of the genre to run. At the start of the first weekend, the thriller directed by Francis Lawrence earned 102.7 million. This novel was written by an aspiring 18-year-old writer. It was published 14 years later. Therefore, I lost the palm to Carrie.

As the film's director Francis Lawrence admitted, when he first read Stephen King's The Long Walk, he saw something both terrifying and deeply human in the simplicity of the novel. According to the story, an annual competition called "The Long Walk" is held in one of the American states. To win a big prize, fifty teenagers take to the track and must walk without stopping for a minute. Slowing down is a warning. Three warnings — execution. The game continues until there is only one left. The role of the brutal major is played by an aged Luke Skywalker Michael Hamill. The main roles were played by young artists Cooper Hoffman, Garrett Wareing, Judy Greer, Charlie Plummer.

Izvestia asked Olga Zinyakova, president of the KARO cinema chain, to comment on what explains the audience's craving for horror.

— Both of these films attract the viewer not as horrors, they are interested in other advantages in both cases, — Olga Zinyakova said. — "Dracula" is a large—scale costume drama by Luc Besson, one of the best directors in the entertainment film niche. He takes an incredible picture and effect, acting at the intersection of authorial and commercial cinema. Obviously, such films are pleasant to watch on the big screen. What the viewer is missing. The situation with "The Long Walk" is somewhat different — the script from Stephen King guarantees an exciting story that will keep you in suspense. And most often an unobvious denouement. Films based on books by this author are 100 percent expected by the general public and will collect their box office.

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What to watch at the cinema this weekend

Not Harry Potter

Another best feature of the weekend was the movie "Alter" starring "Harry Potter" star Tom Felton and Russian actor Igor Zizhikin, which earned 14 million rubles. A Canadian fantasy action film directed by Timo Vuorensola. Tom Felton, whom the audience remembers as Draco Malfoy, the stern blond man and ideological enemy of Harry Potter, was invited to play the main role — inventor Leon. In Alter, his character is disabled, but he defies those who took everything from him. After the global catastrophe, the world took a wrong turn. Genetically enhanced people live like kings. They call the rest special. To protect the weak, Leon invents an exoskeleton. With him, he will have a chance to win.

The audience rating of Alter is low. Will the film be able to stay in the top?

— The potential of its action has not yet been developed, so there is a chance of an increase in the box office, — says Olga Zinyakova. — Tom Felton became the engine of the project, but the genre also worked. Spectacular action films are much less likely to appear at the box office than, for example, comedies, so interest in them is increased.

My beast

For the second week, the animated action comedy "Zveropoezd" from the creators of the animated film "The Adventures of the Argonauts" Benoit Duffy and Jean-Christian Tassi has not left the top leaders. The cartoon grossed 39.6 million last weekend. This is only 6 million less than a week earlier. The average number of viewers per session is still 14 people. On average, 15 tickets are sold per show for "Dracula."

A funny story about how pets, trapped on a speeding train, must thwart the plans of the vengeful badger Hans. Now the animals have the last hope to prevent a catastrophe: a resourceful raccoon named Falcon, ready to do anything to save his friends.

Maxim Maksimov's comedy "Cool Cove" closes the top five rental leaders. The film earned 14 million in its first weekend. The action thriller Altera has the same amount. The film features a solid comedy cast: Alina Alekseeva, Ingrid Olerinskaya, Irina Bezryadnova, Viktor Vasiliev, Alexey Zolotovitsky, Roman Kurtsyn, Dmitry Kolchin, Vladimir Rodchakov. Let's hope that 14 million is just overclocking. It is difficult to compete for the viewer when his attention is intercepted by such names in the posters as Luc Besson and Stephen King. Well, starting on September 25, Nikita Vysoky's "August" starring Sergey Bezrukov and Nikita Kologrivy will be released. And the competition will increase. Izvestia will help you keep track of new rental products and make your choice.