A children’s film about the adventures of a funny animal with big ears, known to a generation of Russians from Soviet cartoons, has become the biggest hit of Russian cinema, according to official statistics cited by AFP.

The film “Cheburashka”, which was released on the screens on January 1, earned more than 3.082 billion rubles (41.3 million euros) in eight days, surpassing the previous national record set three years ago by the comedy “Kripak”, reports the specialized website EAIS. announced on Tuesday.

The film was directed by Dmitry Dyatchenko with a budget of 850 million rubles and is currently second only to James Cameron’s Avatar, which earned about 3.6 billion rubles, at the Russian box office.

In 1966, thanks to the book of the Soviet writer Eduard Uspensky, a polite and clumsy little animal with big ears, Cheburashka, was born, who lived in an orange box and whose best friend was the crocodile Guena.

A few years later, his story was filmed, and soon Cheburashka became one of the favorite cartoon characters in the USSR. In 2004, Cheburashka became the official mascot of the Russian national team at the Olympic Games in Athens.

In the film, the action takes place in Sochi, on the shores of the Black Sea, where Cheburashka is swept away by a tornado along with tons of oranges. There he meets Gwen, a gardener with an often hostile demeanor reminiscent of a cartoon crocodile.

Thanks to this meeting, everything changes in Guena’s life: he finally manages to establish a relationship with his daughter, a chocolate master, helps her save her small shop from being taken over by a large chocolate factory, and also finds friends and joy in life. .

Having flocked to cinemas to see the film, after a year marked by the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine and new Western sanctions, Russians “just want to find themselves today in the magical and sunny story that we, our grandmothers, told.” ”, Oleksandr Golubchikov from the Salo marketing agency explains on Business FM radio.