“Gorko!” comedy beats Bondarchuk’s “Stalingrad” at Russian box office

PanARMENIAN.Net - The wedding comedy Gorko! (Now a Kiss!), directed by Zhora Kryzhovnikov and produced by Timur Bekmambetov’s company, Bazelevs, became this past weekend’s top-grossing film at the Russian box office, beating the previous two weeks’ champion Stalingrad, as well as Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 and Machete Kills, which were also released in Russia on Oct. 24., The Hollywood Reporter said.

Gorko! grossed $6.99 million over the weekend, followed by Stalingrad ($5.68 million), the second installment of the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs franchise ($3.86 million), Escape Plan, which drew in $1.59 million in its second weekend, and Machete Kills ($1.24 million).

According to the research group Romir Movie Research, word of mouth contributed substantially to the box office success of Gorko! A survey conducted by the group showed that 88% of the respondents were ready to recommend the film to their friends, 77% said they liked the film and 69% said they would want to watch a sequel, which is already in production.

This is the third weekend in a row in which a local film has topped the Russian box office, a rarity. Fedor Bondarchuk’s Stalingrad was the top earner the two previous weekends. To date, the WWII movie has grossed $42.9 million.