Yolki 10

Yolki 10 (Russian: Ёлки 10) is a Russian comedy New Year's film directed by Aleksandra Lupashko and Sergey Naumov, and produced by Evgeny Kulik, Timur Asadov, Lala Rustamova, Ara Khachatryan, Alexander Pikovsky, Albert Zagitov, and others. The film, created by the Russian company Bazelevs, which was bought out from Timur Bekmambetov^[5], is the tenth main installment in the Yolki film series, the eleventh overall, and the second and final film in the second sequence. The picture is also a direct sequel to Yolki 9^[6]. The main roles in the film were played by Yuri Kuznetsov, Galina Polskikh, Boris Shcherbakov, and Elena Valyushkina. The film's slogan remained the same as the ninth part: "Come in for the holiday!".

The film consists of several novellas united by a New Year theme. The plots include stories about love, friendship, family values, and the search for happiness on New Year's Eve. For example, one of the novellas tells of a girl trying to win back a boyfriend obsessed with a computer game by creating an account in the same game. Another story tells of pensioners for whom the attention of loved ones is more important than the fulfillment of wishes. In general, the film touches on themes of loneliness, mutual assistance, and the importance of supporting loved ones. Filming took place in Moscow, Almetyevsk, and other locations.

The premiere took place on December 7, 2023 — traditionally, before the main winter holiday^[7]. The film Yolki 10 was criticized by critics and users on many resources. The former note the loss of originality and freshness, as well as disappointment in the direction of the series' development. The latter complain about the too-frequent release of new parts, which leads to fatigue and a decrease in interest. Simplification and repetition of elements from previous films, as well as the unrealistic portrayal of Russia, are also noted^[8][9]. The box office receipts of "Yolki 10" in Russia and the CIS amounted to 381,023,150 rubles, and the film's budget was 150 million rubles, thus barely breaking even.

It was followed in 2024 by Yolki 11.

On New Year's Eve, there is always room for a miracle, even if you suddenly stopped believing in it. Gennadich, living out his days in a nursing home near Saint Petersburg, will find his real family. Vlogger Larisa from Tyumen will have to find out what her husband Valera is willing to do for his loved ones, and Marina from Almetyevsk (Tatarstan) will have to learn to love what is really important to her, namely her husband Ruslan. Novice gamer Tanya from Nizhny Novgorod will understand that true love is not a game at all, because on the most magical night of the year, everyone has a chance to find their personal happiness. The comedy Yolki 10 — the anniversary part — pays tribute to the first film of the franchise: New Year's stories are again connected by the theory of six degrees of separation, but in a new way.

On October 18, 2022, new information appeared online that a sequel to the ninth film of the series, Yolki 10, would also happen. Later it became known that Yolki 10 would be released in December 2023 ahead of the New Year and winter holidays. Filming took place in 2023.^[10] For this, a film crew from the Bazelevs film company of director Timur Bekmambetov was supposed to come to the city. It was noted that the director himself was unlikely to come to Russia. The plot of the picture at the time of filming was kept secret, as were the locations chosen for filming.^[11]

"My family and I came to our favorite New Year's movie. You see, I dressed up like a clown. I am sure that 'Yolki 10' will be released in the coming year. I will play in it, you'll see!" — stated Philipp Kirkorov.^[12]

In January 2023, the producers of the Bazelevs studio bought out the film studio from Timur Bekmambetov. The deal became possible after the box office success of the film Yolki 9.^[13][14]

In July 2023, Aydar Garayev, ex-captain of the Soyuz KVN team and host of the musical-humorous TV show "Studio SOYUZ", and Olga Dibtseva, star of "Kholop" and "The Last Minister", participated as actors on the set in Almetyevsk. The cast of the other novellas of Yolki 10, like the plot as a whole, was kept secret at that time. Nevertheless, the creators of the picture promised that the audience would meet both actors "loved by many generations of Russians" and those who are popular among young people today. The trailer for the film was released a month before the film's release, on November 9, and the extended one on December 6.

The tenth tape caused a mass of criticism and disapproval from both professional reviewers and the general audience. The critical resource "Kritikanstvo" gave these projects a 42% approval rating, based on four reviews by industry professionals. Experts agree that the tenth part has almost completely lost the very holiday spirit and emotional warmth for which the first tapes of the cycle were famous. Over the years of existence, the series has lost its own individuality, losing the original ideas and unique features that attracted the attention of viewers initially. It is noted that further degradation of the product led to a sense of disappointment among critics, who observe how the once popular genre has slid into primitivism and a lack of imagination^[15].

Viewers were in solidarity with critics, demonstrating the same acute negative reaction to the new tape. According to numerous reviews from ordinary moviegoers, general fatigue from the excessively frequent appearance of new episodes was one of the key reasons for the cool reception. The regular production of tapes within one brand led to a loss of interest in the project and a deterioration in the perception of each subsequent release. The feeling of overwork is aggravated by the constant repetition of familiar clichés and the use of similar techniques previously successfully applied in previous parts. Such methods lead to a general degradation of the concept and form a negative attitude towards the franchise^[16][17][18]. The rating on the largest domestic portal "KinoPoisk" speaks most eloquently about the attitude of the mass viewer: the tape scored only 4.7 points out of a maximum of ten. This indicator is one of the worst results in the history of the franchise, second only to the results of the eighth film.

The anthology "Yolki 10" mastered 111.53 million rubles at the start with an average attendance of 15 people in the hall at each session^[3].

Timur Bekmambetov's film company Bazelevs is developing a new, eleventh part of the New Year franchise "Yolki". This was reported on Wednesday, May 15, by the telegram channel "Film Production News"^[19]. RBC Life sent a request to the press service of the film company. "Stable stability. You can stop cutting Olivier salad for the New Year (if you cut it), but there will still be 'Yolki' in the rental in December," the publication says. According to insiders, the new picture may become another reboot of the franchise. One of the scriptwriters will be Pyotr Vnukov^[20].