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Russian Culture Minister Wants Protectionist Price Hikes on Hollywood Movie Tickets

Ivan Sekretarev / AP

Russian Culture Ministry Vladimir Medinsky has a plan to save Russia’s film industry: make the ticket prices on Hollywood films in Russia so high that people simply can’t afford to choose “Guardians of the Galaxy 2” over “Zashchitniki” or “Prityazhenie.”

“Right now, tickets for Hollywood movie and Russian films are the same price: 230 rubles [$4],” Medinsky told the State Duma on Wednesday.

The culture minister acknowledged that Russian films struggle to compete at home against U.S. features, comparing the need to help Russian movies to protectionism in the auto industry.

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