The biopic Michael, comedy Serf 3, and foreign genre titles Backstage of Reality and Obsession served as the primary box office pillars for Russian cinemas in July 2026. Roman Isaev, a board member of the Association of Cinema Owners, told the National News Service that theaters received a revenue boost over the first two summer months of 2026, though he noted it was too early to report a major surge. Isaev added that two new July releases managed to cross the 100 million ruble threshold.
Top Grossing Russian Films
According to data from the Cinema Foundation's Unified Automated Information System, the Michael Jackson biopic Michael added 523.6 million rubles to its total in July. The movie drew an additional one million viewers into theaters, lifting its cumulative box office collection in Russia past two billion rubles.
Serf 3 finished closely behind, taking in 355.8 million rubles for the month while pushing its overall earnings past the one billion ruble mark. The newest entry in the comedy franchise attracted 752.8 thousand cinema visitors during July.
To Grandfather's Village 2, featuring Yuri Stoyanov and Fyodor Dobronravov, claimed the third spot among the month's highest earners. Released on July 16, the film generated 285.1 million rubles and brought in 740.4 thousand viewers by the end of July. By comparison, the first installment debuted in June 2025 and earned nearly 245 million rubles in its initial two weeks.
Horror and Thriller Releases
Foreign horror feature Evil Dead: Inferno posted the fourth highest revenue total in July, earning 169.4 million rubles from more than 340 thousand viewers. The plot follows a woman who travels to her late husband's family home seeking comfort and peace, only to find his relatives possessed by demons.
Backstage of Reality maintained its strong box office run after entering the top three releases in June. The horror film took fifth place at the end of July with 149.7 million rubles from nearly 295 thousand additional viewers, driving total Russian box office sales for its dubbed release past 751 million rubles.
Obsession ranked sixth, continuing its run from the June charts by drawing 257.8 thousand viewers in July. The title added 134.1 million rubles to its tally, bringing overall box office receipts above 482 million rubles.
Dante's Code and July Premieres
July release Dante's Code, adapted from the novel by Nick Tosches, finished seventh after opening on July 9. Set in the early 21st century, the story follows New York writer Nick as he receives an offer from a mobster to steal the manuscript of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy from the Vatican cellars, while parallel 14th century scenes trace Dante creating the work during a spiritual awakening.
Oscar Isaac of Dune played both Tosches and Dante, while Gal Gadot of Wonder Woman portrayed their romantic interests. The film also features Jason Momoa, Al Pacino, and director Martin Scorsese, who served as executive producer and appeared as Dante's mentor. Directed by Golden Globe winner and Oscar nominee Julian Schnabel, known for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, the movie earned 104.3 million rubles from over 175 thousand viewers.
The animated short compilation Three Heroes: Not a Day Without a Deed placed eighth with 98.3 million rubles. This third release centered on the adventures of Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich, Alyosha Popovich, and Julius the Horse was seen by 285.6 thousand viewers.
Grandpa Fomich, starring Nikolai Dobrynin in the lead role, placed ninth by collecting 73.7 million rubles from 198.8 thousand moviegoers. The comedy Unboxing, featuring blogger Vlad Kobyakov in a leading role, rounded out the top ten with 59.9 million rubles and 171.4 thousand viewers.
