Robust Earnings: Kazakh Cinema Persistently Breaks Success Barriers
It appears that 2024 marked a high point in box office receipts, but the initial months of 2025 serve as a stark reminder not to jump to conclusions too soon: the fascination of the audience with domestic productions persists.
Following data from Kazakh distributors such as Meloman Entertainment, Asana Film, and Sulpak Cinema, the box office of domestic projects increased dramatically from 9.5 billion tenge in 2022 to 15.2 billion in 2023 and 23 billion in 2024. And if 2024 saw a full 50% share of Kazakh cinema in the gross (which includes Hollywood studio projects), 2025 exhibitors predict a whopping 60%, and the total annual box office could even surpass the 30 billion tenge mark.
As of April 30, 2025, 37 Kazakh films have been screened, bringing in box office receipts totaling over 10 billion tenge. Considering an average Kazakh film budget of 100 million, 70% of these films fell short of recouping their expenditures, 16% broke even, and only 14% achieved profits.
Yerlan Bukharbaev, the general producer of Tiger Films, mentioned that in 2025, the studio released four films, with only one seeing profits. Another broke even, while the remaining two were complete busts.
This situation, as pointed out by Yerlan Bukharbaev, is common in the global film industry.
As for the successful films of 2025, according to data from the Rentrak reporting system and distributors, the following titles have shown profits:
- "Moldova" with a box office of 1.5 billion tenge;
- "Patrol. The Last Order" with earnings of 1.4 billion tenge;
- the crime drama "Racket 3" with a box office of 1.1 billion tenge.
Despite the promising start of the year and the abundance of films, the summer months haven't kept pace with the same density of premieres. June, July, and August remain the least popular periods for local film producers, with only Tiger Films having announced the release dates of their films.
Major players in the Kazakh film industry, like Kinopark/Tiger Films, take advantage of extensive infrastructure, advertising budgets, and a focus on commercially viable projects to ensure their films secure screenings[1]. In addition, online fanbases effectively mobilize streaming audiences for cinema attendance, creating a replicable model capturing international attention[1].
The success of Kazakh cinema, however, isn't without challenges. Films by internationally recognized directors like Adilkhan Yerzhanov often face the "Van Gogh paradox," garnering critical acclaim at Cannes and Berlin, but being commercially overlooked domestically[1]. Financial struggles are a common obstacle for independent filmmakers, who combat the "brute strength" of productions prioritizing quick returns over cultural value[1]. Despite over a hundred domestic releases expected in 2025[1], profitability remains concentrated among corporate-backed projects[1].
I, as a film enthusiast, have noticed the increasing success of Kazakh cinema in recent years, with 2024 exhibitors predicting a 60% share of domestic projects in the total annual box office. However, Yerlan Bukharbaev, the general producer of Tiger Films, mentioned that in 2025, only 14% of Kazakh films achieved profits, and his studio's four releases saw a profit in just one film. The success of movies like "Moldova," "Patrol. The Last Order," and "Racket 3" has been well documented, but financial struggles and the domination of corporate-backed projects continue to be challenges faced by independent filmmakers. Despite the promising start of the year and the abundance of films, the summer months haven't kept pace with the same density of premieres.
