Synopsis

Police Major Igor Grom is known throughout St. Petersburg for his penetrative character and irreconcilable attitude towards criminals of all stripes. But everything changes dramatically with the appearance of a person in the mask of the Plague Doctor. Having declared that his city is "sick with the plague of lawlessness", he takes up "treatment", killing people who, at one time, escaped punishment with the help of money and high status in society. Society is agitated. The police officers are powerless. For the first time, Igor faces difficulties in the investigation, the outcome of which may determine the fate of the whole city.

What is the budget of Major Grom Plague Doctor?

"Major Grom Plague Doctor," an action released in 2021, was directed by Oleg Trofim and stars Tikhon Zhiznevsky, Lyubov Aksyonova. The production budget was $10,000,000, placing it in the low-budget range for action productions of its era.

Key Budget Allocation Categories

While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for an action production like this include:

Stunts, Action Sequences & Visual Effects: Action films allocate a substantial portion of their budget to choreographing and executing practical stunts, pyrotechnics, and CGI-heavy sequences.
Above-the-Line Talent (Cast & Director): A-list talent commands significant upfront fees plus backend participation.
Production Design, Sets & Locations: Action films frequently require multiple international shooting locations, large-scale set construction, vehicle acquisitions and modifications, and specialized equipment , all of which drive production costs well above those of dialogue-driven genres.
Development: The film's plot is based on the first story arc of the original comic series, which recounts the struggle of Major Grom with a serial killer hiding under the mask of a plague doctor.

What were the major cost factors in Major Grom Plague Doctor?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Major Grom Plague Doctor."

Stunts: Stunts, Action Sequences & Visual Effects is one of the primary cost drivers in action productions of this scale.
Above-the-Line Talent (Cast: Above-the-Line Talent (Cast & Director) is one of the primary cost drivers in action productions of this scale.
Production Design: Production Design, Sets & Locations is one of the primary cost drivers in action productions of this scale.

How Does Major Grom Plague Doctor's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $10,000,000, Major Grom Plague Doctor sits in the low-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

By the Sea (2015): Budget $10,000,000, Worldwide Gross $3,727,746
Eye for an Eye (2025): Budget $10,000,000
Goal! (2005): Budget $10,000,000, Worldwide Gross $27,610,873
Phantom (2013): Budget $10,000,000, Worldwide Gross $1,197,759
War of the Worlds (2025): Budget $10,000,000

The median budget for wide-release action films in the 2020s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.

Major Grom Plague Doctor Box Office Performance

"Major Grom Plague Doctor" earned $4,493,306 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $10,000,000, the film faced challenges in theatrical release. Home video, streaming, and ancillary revenue may have contributed to its overall performance.

A film typically needs to earn approximately twice its production budget to cover marketing and distribution costs. For "Major Grom Plague Doctor," that break-even threshold was roughly $20,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $4,493,306, the film did not reach break-even in theatrical release.

Production Budget: $10,000,000
Worldwide Gross: $4,493,306
Net Return: −$5,506,694
ROI: approximately -55.1%

At -55.1%, "Major Grom Plague Doctor" did not recoup its production budget through theatrical release alone.

Major Grom Plague Doctor Production History

The film's plot is based on the first story arc of the original comic series, which recounts the struggle of Major Grom with a serial killer hiding under the mask of a plague doctor. In the scenario itself, Bubble Studios planned to leave about 80% of the plot of the original story and add 20% of new content. After the teaser was released, the filmmakers received many unflattering comments related to its political content, both from Russian pro-government structures and from members of the public opposed to the government.

The filmmakers tried to use less famous actors as they were dissatisfied with the same few actors playing in many different films. Bubble had difficulties with the casting,in particular, with the selection of a lead actor to portray Igor Grom. Alexander Gorbatov, who played Grom in the short film, did not return to the role due to lack of interest in the project.

If Besedin wanted St. Petersburg to appear Americanized, Oleg Trofim made the city look closer to reality. Trofim lived in St.

Awards and Recognition

1 nomination total

Critical Reception

Major Grom: Plague Doctor received mixed to positive reviews from Russian critics with review aggregator Kritikanstvo rating it 6,4/10 based on 39 reviews, while KinoPoisk reported a 71% critical approval rating based on 34 reviews. The movie was praised by Kanobu, Mir Fantastiki, Igromania, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, TASS, TJournal, DTF.ru, Elle Girl, and RBK Daily. Others, like Afisha, Film.ru, and TimeOut Russia published mixed reviews, while Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Kino Mail.ru, InterMedia, and Meduza were critical of the movie, and Kommersant published two conflicting reviews.