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The Very Best Movie 2 Opening Tops Russian Box Office

Posted on: Wednesday, 28 January 2009, 13:27 CST

Comedy Co-Produced by Monumental Pictures and Comedy Club Productions Beats Holiday Releases and Worldwide Hits, Bringing in Over $10 Million Opening Weekend

CULVER CITY, Calif. and MOSCOW, Jan. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- "The Very Best Movie 2," a Russian comedy from Monumental Pictures, a joint venture between Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) and Patton Media Group, and Comedy Club Production, is off to a very big start. The movie grossed $10.2 million opening weekend in Russia, CIS, Ukraine, Latvia and Lithuania, dominating the local box office and surpassing gross opening totals for top films over the holidays. In addition, the film's premiere beat those of worldwide hits including "Iron Man," "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" and "Wanted" in Russia, making the film the second biggest Sony opening after "Hancock" and the fourth biggest Russian movie opening ever.

"This premiere is very exciting for us as we continue to grow our local-language offerings in key markets worldwide," said Deborah Schindler, President of Sony Pictures International Motion Picture Production Group. "The success of The Very Best Movie 2 is a testament to the phenomenal work Paul Heth and Michael Schlicht have done with Monumental as well as the talented team at Comedy Club and everyone involved in the production and release of this terrific movie."

"Since our very first meeting with Michael Lynton, Deb Schindler and the whole Sony Pictures team have been tremendous partners in fostering the growth of Montumental's development and film slate," said Paul Heth, CEO, Monumental Pictures. "Our collaboration with Comedy Club has been fantastic and we are thrilled with the debut of 'The Very Best Movie 2'."

"The Very Best Movie 2" is the second film based on the work and starring cast members of the popular Russian comedy troupe Comedy Club. Monumental Pictures is collaborating with Comedy Club Productions in the development of the sequel already set for release in January of 2010.

"Our goal was to help to bring a motion picture sensibility to the unparalleled comedic genius of the Comedy Club team," said Michael Schlicht, Partner, Monumental Pictures. "We are extremely pleased with the result and the outstanding response so far in the Russian marketplace."

Monumental Productions is a joint venture between Sony Pictures Entertainment and Patton Media Group, which was launched in February 2006 to produce and arrange distribution of Russian language films in Russia and CIS. Led by long-time Moscow-based cinema and film entrepreneurs Heth and Schlicht and partner Shari Redstone, Monumental has set a track record of success in the Russian film market in a short time.

Sony Pictures International Motion Picture Production Group is SPE's local-language production arm led by Schindler. SPE was the first studio to establish stand-alone, local language production units in Europe, Asia and Latin America. SPE's International Motion Pictures Production Group has helped bring such films as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Kung Fu Hustle" to the global market.

About Sony Pictures Entertainment

Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America (SCA), a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; digital content creation and distribution; worldwide channel investments; home entertainment acquisition and distribution, operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of filmed entertainment in more than 100 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sonypictures.com.

SOURCE Sony Pictures Entertainment

Source: PR Newswire

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