I don't know if it's true or not, but still thought it's interesting to share. This guy's latest movie flopped and he barely could find the producers for it in the first place, so he is very biased. Anyway here's the quote: "Question: If a film is potentially unprofitable, they don't want to invest in it? Answer: Of course. For some reason, everybody thinks that cinema is business and theatre is art. But in reality, the main business is theatre. Today, there are just a huge number of tasteless, vulgar productions that gather in full halls - strangely enough and surprisingly enough. Every theatre has its own sponsor - even the poorest one. There are behind-curtains, where you can enter, drink some tea, have conversations with actors." Full interview in Russian: https://archive.fo/Lsouv