List of highest-grossing films in the Soviet Union

This is the list of highest-grossing films in the Soviet Union, in terms of box office admissions (ticket sales). It includes the highest-grossing films in the Soviet Union (USSR), the highest-grossing domestic Soviet films,[1] the domestic films with the greatest number of ticket sales by year,[2] and the highest-grossing foreign films in the Soviet Union.[3] Note that, in line with the definition above, this list does not include any Soviet television series or television movies, which were not shown in cinemas of the Soviet Union.

The annual list includes sales during each year only, which often means that the total number of tickets sold was bigger. As an example, according to the list below the film The Red Snowball Tree, the top seller of the year 1974, sold 62.5 million tickets during that year. But the total number of sold tickets during all years was bigger; Boris Pavlenok, former deputy director of the USSR GosKino, estimated 140 million.[4] This figure is comparable to some of the United States' all-time highest ticket sellers, such as The Sound of Music, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Titanic, exceeding the latter's estimated ticket sales of 135.5 million.[5]

In the mid-1960s, the Soviet box office annually sold 4 billion tickets and grossed 1 billion руб,[6] equivalent to $1.11 billion [7] (inflation-adjusted $9 billion ). In 1973, annual box office admissions reached 4.5 billion ticket sales, equivalent to $2 billion (inflation-adjusted $12 billion ) gross revenue and 17.7 admissions per person, more than any other country at the time.[8] Soviet ticket prices were lower than American ticket prices,[9][8] due to lower living costs in the Soviet Union.[9] Ticket prices ranged from 0.50 руб to 6 руб in 1950,[10] before decreasing to 0.25 руб by the mid-1960s,[11] then increasing to $0.47 by 1973[8] and then 0.50 руб by 1982.[9]

Both domestic Soviet films and foreign films were shown, the latter having a limited quota and thus drawing higher average ticket sales than domestic productions.[12][6] Indian films had the strongest presence in the foreign blockbuster charts for four decades, followed by American films.[13][12] Foreign imports included 300 Indian films[14] (most of which were Bollywood films), 41 American films (Hollywood), and 38 French films.[12][6]

Highest-grossing films
Soviet release Russian title English title Country Tickets sold (millions)[lower-alpha 1] Ref
1975 Есения Yesenia Mexico 91.4 [3]
1980 Пираты XX века Pirates of the 20th Century Soviet Union 87.6 [1]
1980 Москва слезам не верит Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears Soviet Union 84.4
1969 Бриллиантовая рука The Diamond Arm Soviet Union 76.7
1967 Кавказская пленница Kidnapping, Caucasian Style Soviet Union 76.54
1972 Моё имя Клоун Mera Naam Joker India 73.1 [15]
1980 Экипаж Air Crew Soviet Union 71.1 [1]
1965 Операция „Ы“ и другие приключения Шурика Operation Y and Shurik's Other Adventures Soviet Union 69.6
1968 Щит и меч The Shield and the Sword Soviet Union 68.3
1961 Великолепная семёрка The Magnificent Seven United States 67 [3]

Highest-grossing domestic films
Year Russian title English title Tickets sold (millions)[lower-alpha 1] Ref
1980 Пираты XX века Pirates of the 20th Century 87.6 [1]
1980 Москва слезам не верит Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears 84.4
1969 Бриллиантовая рука The Diamond Arm 76.7
1967 Кавказская пленница Kidnapping, Caucasian Style 76.54
1980 Экипаж Air Crew 71.1
1965 Операция „Ы“ и другие приключения Шурика Operation Y and Shurik's Other Adventures 69.6
1968 Щит и меч The Shield and the Sword 68.3
1968 Новые приключения Неуловимых The New Adventures of the Elusive Avengers 66.2
1962 Человек-амфибия The Amphibian Man 65.5[lower-alpha 2]
1972 Джентльмены удачи Gentlemen of Fortune 65.02 [2]

Highest-grossing domestic films by year
Year Russian title English title Tickets sold (millions)[1][2] IMDb entry
1940 Истребители The Fighters 27.1
1944 В шесть часов вечера после войны Six P.M. 26.1
1945 Без вины виноватые Guilty Without Guilt 28.91
1946 Каменный цветок The Stone Flower 23.17
1947 Подвиг разведчика Secret Agent 22.73
1948 Молодая гвардия The Young Guard 42.4
1949 Встреча на Эльбе Encounter at the Elbe 24.2
1950 Смелые люди Brave People (The Horsemen) 41.2
1951 В мирные дни In Peaceful Time 23.5
1952 Незабываемый год 1919 The Unforgettable Year 1919 31.6
1953 Любовь Яровая Lyubov Yarovaya 46.4
1954 Судьба Марины Marina's Destiny 37.9
1955 Солдат Иван Бровкин Private Ivan 40.37
1956 Карнавальная ночь Carnival Night 48.64
1957 Сёстры The Sisters 42.5
1958 Над Тиссой Over Tissa 45.74
1959 Ч. П.-Чрезвычайное Происшествие E. A. — Extraordinary Accident 47.5
1960 Вдали от Родины Far from the Motherland 42.0
1961 Полосатый рейс Striped Trip 32.34
1962 Человек-амфибия The Amphibian Man 65.5[lower-alpha 2]
1963 Оптимистическая трагедия Optimistic Tragedy 46.0
1964 Живые и мёртвые The Alive and the Dead 41.5
1965 Операция „Ы“ и другие приключения Шурика Operation Y and Shurik's Other Adventures 69.6
1966 По тонкому льду On Thin Ice 42.5
1967 Кавказская пленница, или Новые приключения Шурика Kidnapping, Caucasian Style 76.54
1968 Щит и меч The Shield and the Sword 68.3
1969 Бриллиантовая рука The Diamond Arm 76.7
1970 Неподсуден Not Under the Jurisdiction 43.3
1971 Офицеры Officers 53.4
1972 Джентльмены удачи Gentlemen of Fortune 65.02
1973 Всадник без головы The Headless Horseman 64.9
1974 Калина красная The Red Snowball Tree 62.5[lower-alpha 3]
1976 Табор уходит в небо Gypsies Are Found Near Heaven 64.9
1977 Несовершеннолетние The Age of Innocence (Minors) 44.6
1978 Служебный роман Office Romance 58.4
1979 Женщина, которая поёт The Woman who Sings 54.9
1980 Пираты ХХ века Pirates of the 20th Century 87.6
1981 Тегеран-43 Teheran 43 47.5
1982 Спортлото-82 Sportloto-82 55.2
1983 Вокзал для двоих Station for Two 35.8
1984 Любовь и голуби Love and Pigeons 44.5
1985 Самая обаятельная и привлекательная The Most Charming and Attractive 44.9
1986 Двойной капкан Double Trap 42.9
1987 Человек с бульвара Капуцинов A Man from the Boulevard des Capucines 39.8
1988 Маленькая Вера Little Vera 54.9
1989 Интердевочка Intergirl 41.3

Highest-grossing foreign films

This is a list of foreign films that sold the most tickets at the Soviet box office.[3] Among the foreign films that sold more than 20 million tickets in the Soviet Union, 50 were Indian films (Bollywood),[17][18] the highest from any nation,[12] followed by 41 American films (Hollywood) and 38 French films.[12]

Year English title Russian title Country Original
release		 Tickets sold
(millions)[3]		 IMDb
entry		 Gross (est.)[n 1]
(million руб)		 Gross (est.)
(million US$)		 Adjusted gross
(est. million US$)
1984 Disco Dancer Танцор диско India 1982 120[n 2] 60[19] 75.85[n 3] 187
1954 Awaara (The Vagabond) Бродяга India 1951 100[n 4] 37.75[n 7] ($9.72 million)[n 8] ($77 million adjusted for inflation)

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16.97[n 7] 143[n 7]
1975 Yesenia Есения Mexico 1971 91.4 22.9+ 43[8] 204
1972 Mera Naam Joker (My Name is Joker) Моё имя Клоун India 1970 73.1[n 9] 18.28 22.13[7] 135
1961 The Magnificent Seven Великолепная семёрка United States 1960 67 16.75 18.61[n 8] 159
1974 Mackenna's Gold Золото Маккенны United States 1969 63 15.8+ 29.6[8] 153
1967 Spartacus Спартак United States 1960 63 15.75 17.5[n 8] 134
1975 Bobby Бобби India 1973 62.6 15.7+ 29.4[8] 140
1976 The White Gown Белое платье Egypt 1973 61 15.25+ 28.7[8] 129
1978 Barood Мститель India 1976 60 15+ 28.2[8] 111
1979 Sholay Месть и закон India 1975 60[n 10] 15+ 28.2[8] 99
1978 The Four Charlots Musketeers Четыре мушкетёра Шарло France 1974 56.6 14.2+ 26.6[8] 104
1983 The Taming of the Scoundrel Укрощение строптивого Italy 1980 56 28[24] 35.4[7] 91
1975 Apache Gold (Winnetou) Виннету — Золото Апачей West Germany 1963 56 14+ 26.3[8] 125
1975 Last of the Renegades (Winnetou 2) Виннету — сын Инчу-Чуна West Germany 1964 56 14+ 26.3[8] 125
1976 Zorro Зорро Italy 1975 55.3 13.8+ 26[8] 117
1976 Seeta Aur Geeta (Seeta and Geeta) Зита и Гита India 1972 55.2 13.8+ 25.9[8] 116
1988 King Kong Lives Кинг Конг жив United States 1986 53.6 26.8[24] 44.2[7] 96
1979 Mr. Robinson Синьор Робинзон Italy 1976 52.1 13+ 24.5[8] 86
1969 Mamta Материнская любов India 1966 51.8 13 14.4[n 8] 100

See also

Notes
  1. Not including re-runs
  2. Not including re-runs. It is estimated to have sold 100 million tickets including re-runs.[16]
  3. Not including re-runs. Boris Pavlenok, former deputy director of the USSR GosKino, estimated that it sold 140 million tickets including re-runs.[4]
  1. Estimates based on number of tickets sold at average ticket price of 25 kopecks,[11] unless otherwise noted.
  2. 120 million tickets in total including re-runs,[19] 60.9 million admissions during initial run.[3]
  3. 0.791 rubles per dollar in 1984[7]
  4. 100 million admissions in total including re-runs,[20] 63.7 million admissions during initial run.[3]
  5. 4 Soviet rubles per US dollar from 1950 to 1960
  6. 35 million re-run admissions up until 1964-1966,<ref name='boi-soviet'>"You Asked It - Padmaavat Is Bigger Than Mughal E Azam?". Box Office India. 8 March 2018.
  7. Awaara in the Soviet Union:
    • Initial run – 29 million руб[21] ($7.25 million)[n 5] in 1954 ($69 million adjusted for inflation)
    • Re-runs – 8.75 million руб[n 6] average Soviet ticket price of 25 kopecks in the mid-1960s[11]
  8. 0.9 rubles per dollar from 1961 to 1971[7]
  9. The film was released in three parts. The first part drew 29 million admissions, the second part 22.6 million admissions, and the final part 21.5 million admissions.[15]
  10. 60 million admissions in total including re-runs,[22] 48.4 million admissions during initial run[23]

References
  1. Kudryavtsev, Sergey (4 July 2006). "Отечественные фильмы в советском кинопрокате" [Domestic Films in Soviet Film Distribution]. LiveJournal (in Russian). Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  2. "Лидеры проката" [Rental Leaders]. KinoKultura (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2012-05-10. Retrieved 2012-10-09.
  3. Kudryavtsev, Sergey (4 July 2006). "Зарубежные фильмы в советском кинопрокате" [Foreign Films in Soviet Film Distribution]. LiveJournal (in Russian). Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  4. "Interview with Boris Pavlenok, deputy director of the USSR GosKino". Kommersant.ru (in Russian). 10 March 2003. Retrieved 2012-10-09.
  5. "Top Lifetime Adjusted Grosses". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  6. Kalinovsky, Artemy M.; Daigle, Craig (2014). The Routledge Handbook of the Cold War. Routledge. p. 357. ISBN 978-1-134-70065-3.
  7. "Archive". Central Bank of Russia (in Russian). Archived from the original on 29 December 2009. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  8. "Cinema Going". The Asian Messenger. Center for Communication Studies, Chinese University. 1–4: 2. 1975. More Russians (4.5 billion) go to the movies more times (an average of 17.7 times per person) each year than people in any other country, according to UNESCO statistics for 1973, the last year for which figures are available. Tailing the Russians are Singaporeans, 17.1 times a year, and Hong Kong people, 15.1 times a year. Italians go 10 times, Britons 2.4 times and Frenchmen 3.5 times a year. The high frequency of movie going in Russia is attributed to the low price of movie admission, the drab quality of Soviet TV and the difficulty in getting seats at a restaurant or other places of entertainment. In Russia, where a movie ticket costs about 47 US cents, there are 154,200 cinemas.
  9. Soviet Military Review. Krasnaya Zveda Publishing House. 1982. p. 7.
  10. "Political Affairs". Political Affairs. New Century Publishers. 29: 80. 1950. In moving picture theaters the price of tickets ranges from 2-6 rubles at first-run houses, and from 50 kopeks to one ruble 50 kopeks in neighborhood houses and clubs.
  11. Roth-Ey, Kristin (2011). "Chapter 1: The Soviet Film Industry" (PDF). Moscow Prime Time: How the Soviet Union Built the Media Empire that Lost the Cultural Cold War. Cornell University Press. pp. 47–8. ISBN 978-0-8014-4874-4.
  12. Roth-Ey, Kristin (2011). "Chapter 1: The Soviet Film Industry" (PDF). Moscow Prime Time: How the Soviet Union Built the Media Empire that Lost the Cultural Cold War. Cornell University Press. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-8014-4874-4.
  13. Indian Films in Soviet Cinemas: The Culture of Movie-going After Stalin, page 75, Indiana University Press, 2005
  14. "With love from India to Russia". Russia Beyond. 22 October 2009.
  15. "Мое имя Клоун (Mera Naam Joker, 1970)". KinoPoisk (in Russian). Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  16. "How film flourished in the USSR". Humanities Division. University of Oxford. 6 December 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  17. Rajagopalan, Sudha (2005). A Taste for Indian Films: Negotiating Cultural Boundaries in Post-Stalinist Soviet Society. Indiana University. p. 312.
  18. Kudryavtsev, Sergey (3 August 2008). "Зарубежные популярные фильмы в советском кинопрокате (Индия)" [Popular Foreign Films (Indian) in Soviet Film Distribution]. LiveJournal (in Russian). Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  19. Naralenkova, Oxana (10 September 2009). "Bollywood returns to Russian screens". Russia Beyond. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  21. Rajagopalan, Sudha (2005). Indian Films in Soviet Cinemas: The Culture of Movie-going After Stalin. Indiana University Press. p. 86. ISBN 9780253220998. The purchase of Shree 420 (Mr 420/Gospodin 420) followed a letter from a Soveksportfil'm representative in Bombay to officials in Moscow in which the former wrote: We are in a delicate situation with Raj Kapoor. He feels he is not being offered enough for Mr 420 despite the fact that 'The Vagabond' raised 29 million roubles for the Soviet state.
  22. "«Месть и закон» (Sholay, 1975)". KinoPoisk (in Russian). Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  23. "Афиша Воздух: «Месть и закон»". Afisha. 16 December 2011.
  24. Soviet Military Review. Krasnaya Zveda Publishing House. 1982. p. 7. A cinema ticket costs 50 copecks in Moscow and 3.5 dollars in New York.
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