More than half of the highest-grossing Russian movies released in the first six months of 2026 were filmed using the infrastructure of the Moscow Cinema Cluster, according to the official website of the Mayor of Moscow. The capital hub provided physical outdoor sets and digital production tools for major domestic feature projects.
Filming spanned specialized studio facilities as well as urban streets and parks across the city. The Moscow Film Commission coordinated local permissions and logistics for public location shoots throughout the capital.
The Moscow Cinema Cluster operates under the Moscow Department of Culture, the city authority overseeing municipal arts and cultural heritage. Moscow has steadily expanded its studio complex and outdoor backlots to establish a centralized hub for Russian cinematic production.
Major film productions and location shoots
Family movie Cheburashka-2 shot scenes in Yuri Luzhkov Park, while historical fantasy The Tale of Tsar Saltan filmed on location at Pushkinskaya Square. Digital production teams at the Moskino Cinema Factory built key fantasy settings for Tsar Saltan, including the piers of Gvidon's island, Saltan's domain, a tsar's ship, and a merchant boat.
Cheburashka-2 is the sequel to Russia's highest-grossing film, centered on the classic Soviet children's character created by author Eduard Uspensky. The Tale of Tsar Saltan adapts the 1831 verse fairytale by Russian poet Alexander Pushkin.
For comedy sequel Kholop-3, production crews constructed shipyards from the era of Peter the Great on the Far Eastern Town set. Classic adaptation Buratino was filmed on the Provincial Towns of Europe set at Moskino Cinema Park, featuring 19th-century Italian architecture.
The European set included Papa Carlo's house, a church, a school, bookshops, and bakeries. The integrated streetscape allowed directors to capture both wide shots and close-ups without moving to secondary locations.
Future expansion plans at Moskino
Channel One general director Konstantin Ernst previously said a major entertainment complex could open at Moskino Cinema Park within two to three years. The planned facility would feature guided tours of active movie sets and backlot decorations. Ernst leads Channel One, Russia's flagship state broadcaster and a leading film co-producer.
