First Russian Movie Premieres Online

‘The Slacker I Love', released on September 21 on NOW.ru, an Internet video-on-demand platform, became the first Russian movie to premiere online.

Releasing the movie only on the Internet was a strategic decision. The ambitious joint project of Russian World Studios (a subsidiary of Sistema Mass-media JSC) and NOW.ru (affiliated with Gazprom-Media Holding), an online movie theater, is an unprecedented event in the history of the Russian film industry. The sensational online release will demonstrate Internet users that the legal video service is now available on the Russian Internet too. The premiere promises to become a groundbreaking event in the development of the Russian film business.

‘The Slacker I Love' can be watched on the movie's dedicated promo page at www.razdolbay.now.ru. for 50 rubles (about 1.6 USD). The screening was sponsored by Eurasian Pipeline Consortium Ltd (ETK).

Anna Gabrielyan, Head of Distribution at RWS, said, "The premiere of ‘The Slacker I Love' on NOW.ru is the first-of-its-kind project in Russia and an exceptional event. Film industry has finally turned its attention to the opportunities the Internet offers. It is a tremendous contribution to the development of the Russian film business."

Yekaterina Mironova, Deputy CEO at NOW.RU, said, "NOW.ru is an online movie theater, therefore release of premieres is a top-priority area for us. We'd like to become an alternative broadcasting platform both for viewers and rights holders. Customers should have a choice of where to watch movies and how much to pay for them. Moreover, it is cheaper to watch some latest movie in a good quality online for 50 RUB than to go to a movie theater, where tickets cost 200 to 300 RUB."

Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Aleksandr Kott (‘Fortress of War/ Brestskaya krepost')
Cast: Ekaterina Vilkova, Aleksey Chadov, Vladimir Simonov, Vera Sotnikova, and Roman Shmakov
Country: Russia
Runtime: 85 min

Misha Vorobyov, a good-looking guy and a true Casanova, is supposed to show his ex-boss's introverted son with a lot of complexes what fun life is all about. Misha will be paid good money for this. A lot of money, wild adventures, and beautiful women, it's a dream job!