When people watch any film set in Moscow, a question often pops up: where were those scenes filmed? Did a Moscow residence appear on screen? Such moments hint that production crews lined up their vans nearby and assistants asked bystanders not to disrupt the shot.
And when a film achieves success, the building that appears on screen sometimes becomes a local celebrity. It is noted in apartment listings where the scenes were filmed, and the property gains a certain narrative appeal. One of the most recognizable is the so-called “house of high life culture” from the comedy Ivan Vasilyevich Changes His Profession. This 1971 structure sits at 13C1 Novokuznetskaya Street, and the building is often mentioned in real estate descriptions as a filming location from the Leonid Gaidai classic.
According to Yandex.Real Estate, buyers can currently find a three-room apartment of 64.5 square meters in this building listed at around 30.5 million rubles. Real estate expert Antonina Kuskova notes that a property linked to a film can command higher prices because buyers value the tie to celebrity history.
“The condition of the house, its stardom, whether it is an architectural landmark or home to a notable resident, does have an impact on price,” Kuskova explains. She adds that such factors can increase the value of an object and that talking about a house on Novokuznetskaya Street can lift the price by about one million rubles.
Yet this effect is not universal. For instance, a six-room apartment in the building associated with Roman Belkin, the lead in Duhless 2, is currently offered on Yandex.Real Estate for more than 213 million rubles. In the 2000s, the building it occupies, Triumph Palace, was considered the height of prestige. Today, some observers say its status has faded.
“We watched Triumph Palace at its peak. It feels less exciting now—almost like old money. People have moved on,” a real estate professional notes.
Another quintessentially Moscow film, Pokrovsky Gates, also shows limited price effects. While Kostya and Margarita meet on an ice rink there, the housing in the Patriarch’s Lane area remains reasonably affordable. A 75-square-meter apartment is currently listed for 65 million rubles on Yandex.Real Estate.
The same pattern appears with the building used as the Ministry of Defense in the film Attraction. Constructed along the Ozerkhovskaya Embankment in 2008, it has not acquired extra star status, and its market value remains solid: a four-room apartment is on the market for about 129 million rubles.
Experts caution that the price can shift for reasons unrelated to film fame. Antonina Kuskova notes that a subway expansion nearby can raise values, or a demolition might unveil a scenic river view. Even the arrival of a celebrity like a global pop star could alter demand—tastes change, and neighborhoods evolve with them.
In practice, the film history connection can become part of a neighborhood’s story rather than a guaranteed driver of value. Some buildings retain a quiet significance, while others ride a fleeting wave of nostalgia. The market reflects these dynamics as buyers weigh location, architectural character, and the broader trajectory of the area. And as Moscow’s cityscape continues to transform, the way a building is perceived by buyers and film fans alike may shift accordingly. [citation: Yandex.Real Estate analysis]