Putin Squashes Plan to Limit Hollywood Movies: ‘There Is a Lot We Can Learn from Them’

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin rejected a notion this week that a quota system should be enacted to limit the number of Hollywood films that can be viewed in theaters across Russia.

A parliamentary debate for Thursday was cancelled due to the revelation that Putin supported American films to have free reign across the country.

“It would be wrong to deny our consumers those goods they would like to have,” Putin told a forum of the All-Russia People’s Front last week, via the The Guardian. “It is applicable to the motion picture industry too. It would be unwise to turn down what is profitable.”

He added, “The Americans are talented and successful people and there is a lot we can learn from them.”

The Motion Picture Association of America has praised the decision. Chris Marcich, The MPAA president and director for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa spoke with Variety:

“We welcome the remarks by President Putin. We have long enjoyed close relations with Russian film-makers and have a shared interest in a healthy local market,” Marcich said.

The popularity of American movies in Russia is highly profitable for Hollywood studios. A 50 percent cap on foreign films in the country would reportedly cost American filmmakers hundreds of millions of dollars annually.