Here I had been assuming that if there is one thing that unites us all as humans, its that we all sob uncontrollably at the end of Toy Story 3. I mean, it's just science right? Just that look on Andy's face as he looks back at Woody and… hold on… I think I need a moment here.
But apparently Russia doesn't just hate America so much that they're sending hot spies after us-- they're actually willing to reject Pixar too. As reported by The LA Times, Toy Story 3 is inexplicably a flop in Russia, where it's only made $4.8 million after 10 days in release there. That's a little more than 10% of what Shrek Forever After made in the same time period, which proves once and for all that Russians dig Antonio Banderas as a cat far more than they'll ever appreciate the meta, Dali-esque weirdness of Mr. Tortilla Head.
Of course, there's a more logical explanation other than assuming Russians are cold-hearted monsters. When the first two Toy Story films came out in the 90s, Russia didn't have nearly the amount of movie theaters it does now, meaning most of the country never even saw the first adventures of Buzz and Woody. As explained by Paul Heth, CEO of Russia's largest theater chain Kinescope, "People here didn't grow up seeing the first two movies, so they think a film about toys is just for young children." They may also believe that the toys are insurrectionists who aren't loyal to Stalin, but that's just speculation on my part.
Because Toy Story 3 is an enormous hit pretty much everywhere else in the world, having made $244 million here already and another $100 million overseas, Disney is clearly not crying over spilled borscht. Just know if that if you ever wind up in a Siberian gulag, comparing your situation to Woody's imprisonment at Sid's house won't get you anywhere with your captors.
