Reports from the industry portal highlight that the comedy Cheburashka, opening with a bang, pulled in more than two billion rubles in the first five days of rental, signaling strong audience demand and robust early performance in the Russian market.
Directed by Dmitry Dyachenko, Cheburashka debuted at the start of the year and features a cast led by Sergei Garmash, Fedor Dobronravov, Elena Yakovleva, among others. The film arrived with high expectations and appears to have met them for a broad segment of moviegoers who enjoy family-friendly humor and lighthearted storytelling.
Box office observers note that surpassing the two-billion-ruble threshold is unusual for Russian cinema, with only a handful of titles reaching that milestone. Within this elite group are Dyachenko’s own projects from the Last Hero series such as Herald of Darkness and The Root. Also cited are T-34 by Alexei Sidorov, Upward Movement by Anton Megerdichev, and Kholop by Klim Shipenko, which have demonstrated substantial staying power and wide appeal in prior years.
Cheburashka has already attracted roughly 6.5 million viewers across Russia, a figure that reflects strong national interest in the film and the enduring appeal of the Cheburashka character for multiple generations. The property resonates not only as entertainment but as a touchstone of nostalgia for many families and long-time fans of Eduard Uspensky’s world.
Former actress Katerina Shpitsa expressed astonishment at the movie, noting how it has surprised audiences and perhaps broadened the conversation around adaptations of classic characters for modern screens. Her perspective adds a dimension of expectancy and intrigue to the ongoing reception of the film in markets beyond the original release region.
Cheburashka refers to a beloved figure created by Eduard Uspensky in the book Gena the Crocodile and His Friends. The character’s journey first leaped onto cinema with a quartet of animated features beginning in 1969, cementing a legacy that continues to influence contemporary productions and audience perceptions of animated storytelling in Russia and beyond.