M o t h e я l a n d, Minneapolis, MN (2026)

08/11/2026

By Evgeniy Titov

08/10/2026

Coming this September: The Master and Margarita hits U.S. theaters

Michael Lockshin’s bold adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov’s classic finally arrives in American cinemas on September 18, 2026 — more than two years after its explosive Russian premiere.

In Russia and the CIS, the film became a genuine box-office phenomenon. With a budget of about 1.2 billion rubles, it grossed over 2.3 billion rubles (roughly $26–28 million), drawing more than 5–6 million viewers. It ranks among the top-grossing Russian films of all time and holds the record as the highest-earning 18+ title in the country’s history — an especially striking achievement given the wartime climate and the fierce attacks it faced from state propagandists.

So what about the producers and their connection to the war in Ukraine?

The key producers are Ruben Dishdishyan (Mars Media), Leonard (Len) Blavatnik, and Igor Tolstunov, among others. The film was shot in 2021, before the full-scale invasion, and received partial state funding from Russia’s Cinema Foundation.

None of the main producers publicly championed the war. Dishdishyan made a brief early comment defending Zelenskyy against “fascist” labels, then stayed quiet and continued working inside the Russian system. Blavatnik, a Ukrainian-born British-American billionaire, condemned the violence, donated millions through his foundation to help Ukrainian refugees, and sold off remaining Russian assets — yet still ended up on Ukraine’s sanctions list over past business ties. Tolstunov and the other Russian producers kept a low political profile and focused on finishing the project.
The real political heat came from director Michael Lockshin, a U.S. citizen who openly opposed the invasion, called for Ukraine’s victory, and faced a smear campaign that temporarily put the film in limbo. The producers ultimately chose pragmatism: they completed and released the movie (with minimal censorship) rather than take a loud public stand either way.

In short — the producers are not war cheerleaders, nor are they prominent anti-war activists. They navigated a complicated commercial and political landscape to get a major film made and released. The strongest anti-war voice attached to the project has always been the director’s.

Worth seeing when it lands in the U.S. this September.

Check out the Official Trailer for The Master and Margarita starrin...