The Association of Cinema Owners expressed "concern at the high probability of liquidation of the entire film industry in the country" and asked the Russian authorities to provide support to the industry, according to an official statement of the association.

In the context of the introduction of “unprecedented sanctions” and the cancellation of Russian distribution by major studios, cinemas could lose up to 80% of their planned revenue. The business also pointed to the risk of "a large outflow of viewers from cinemas to online platforms."

The technical and technological support of film screenings has also deteriorated. “The supply of cinema equipment and all its components, including lamps for projectors, without which it is impossible to show films, has been discontinued. It is difficult to estimate the stocks of equipment and components in the companies that supply them, but these stocks will run out before mid-2022. There are no Russian analogues today.”

The Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Cinema Fund are obliged to develop and launch a program to support cinemas as soon as possible, according to the association.

The statement points out that the Association of Cinema Owners turned to the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin with a proposal to provide cinemas with a direct subsidy "in the amount and according to the methodology of 2020", and also joined in the development of proposals for measures to support organizations (enterprises) of small and medium-sized businesses and made recommendations for Russian cinemas on minimizing the damage from the imposed sanctions.