Pirated copies of Avatar 2 are shown publicly in Russia with extremely high definition and quality

The Russian film industry has been hit hard by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and many Western blockbusters, including Avatar 2: The Way of Water, cannot be imported. In response to the restrictions, some Russian cinemas have had to resort to playing pirated copies to attract audiences to the cinema.

Some theaters said they had received high-quality DCP copies from friendly countries such as Kazakhstan, with carefully proofread Russian subtitles. The so-called DCP copy is a digital film package with very high clarity and quality.

Alexei Voronkov, chairman of the Russian Cinema Association, condemned the piracy but admitted: "I can't even blame these cinemas for showing pirated films because they have to do it in order to survive."

Some theaters were worried that publicly showing pirated copies would violate the law, so they came up with a workaround. They bundled "Avatar 2" with a 17-minute Russian film "I See", that is, the audience bought tickets for "I See", but the appetizer was a 192-minute free movie "Avatar 2".

Interestingly, these Russian cinemas that show pirated copies also see piracy as their main competitor, because high-quality pirated copies of Avatar 2 have appeared on major pirated websites, which may tempt some Russians to stay at home and watch it.

The Russian Cinema Association is also aware of the plight of these cinemas, so it has been lobbying the Russian government to provide relief so that these cinemas can openly play unauthorized films without having to bear legal consequences.