Azerbaijani films watched by millions

During the Soviet era, film distribution was among the most profitable sectors of the economy. It not only managed to sustain itself without any state subsidies, but at times even helped cover budget deficits in any regional administrations — often by simply increasing the number of film screenings. At first glance, this may not seem surprising: the USSR encompassed 15 republics and tens of millions of viewers; nearly every village had a film club, and each district had at least two functioning cinemas.

Not all films produced within the country were released for all- union distribution, and some were issued only in limited copies. Even so, for many years the Soviet film industry managed to remain one of the global leaders in cinema distribution.

Among the fifteen republics of the former Soviet Union, Azerbaijan also produced films that were warmly received and widely watched across the vast territory of the USSR, often standing out in distribution rankings. Looking at the lists prepared by film critic Sergey Kudryavtsev, which detail the leaders of Soviet film distribution, it becomes clear that between the 1950s and 1990s, Azerbaijani films screened throughout the Soviet Union attracted audiences numbering in the millions.

The highest box-office figure in the history of Soviet distribution reached 87.6 million viewers — a record achieved by the adventure film Pirates of the 20th Century. Although Azerbaijani films never reached such heights, their overall performance still seems astonishing when compared to today’s ratings. According to unofficial data, the best-selling Azerbaijani film of the past decade is Thyme, which sold approximately 150,000–180,000 tickets.

Even when the population difference between the USSR and modern Azerbaijan is compared in percentage terms, the figures for Soviet Azerbaijan remain several times higher. And that is only natural. During the Soviet era, our films reached the vast Russian-speaking cinema market with tens of millions of viewers. In this regard, the highest record belongs to director Alisattar Atakishiyev’s The inquiry is going on, which sold 28.2 million tickets.

One of the distinctive features of Soviet film distribution was the influence of the number of film copies on total sales. Let’s take a look at how many copies were produced for those Azerbaijani films that achieved the highest box-office results. From this perspective, it is worth considering the copy numbers of Azerbaijani films that reached record-breaking box-office success.

1. “The 26 Baku commissars” – 1,461 copies, 19.7 million viewers;
2. “The inquiry is going on” – 1,373 copies, 28.2 million viewers;
3. “The Inquiry” – 818 copies, 10.2 million viewers;
4. “Battle in the mountains” – 809 copies, 21.5 million viewers;
5. “In a southern city” – 219 copies, 3.7 million viewers;

Oleg Safaraliyev, film director and secretary of the Azerbaijan Union of Filmmakers, has compiled a list of Azerbaijani films that achieved success in Soviet distribution, based on the ranking tables prepared by film critic Sergey Kudryavtsev. What makes this list particularly remarkable from a film studies perspective is the correlation between each film’s genre and subject matter with its audience success. This list may serve as a valuable guide for contemporary Azerbaijani filmmakers seeking to understand how to achieve box-office success.

1. “The Tale of the lonely pomegranate” (1985; dir. Sh. Mahmudbeyov) – 0.2 mln;
2. “The Window of the sadness” (1988; dir. A. Rzayev) – 0.4 mln;
3. “A Mesozoic story” (1976; dir. R. Atamalibeyov) – 0.5 mln;
4. “Garden season” (1987; dir. T. Taghizadeh) – 0.7 mln;
5. “Wonderful apples” (1977; dir. A. Babayev) – 0.7 mln;
6. “His Troubled Love” (1981; dir. Z. Abbasov) – 0.9 mln;
7. “The Old ferry” (1986; dir. E. Gasimov) – 0.9 mln;
8. “The Genie in the neighborhood” (1987; dir. O. Mirgasimov) – 1.2 mln;
9. “Business trip” (1983; dir. R. Ismayilov) – 1.2 mln;
10. “Wait for Me” (1981; dir. K. Rustambeyov) – 1.2 mln;
11. “Oasis in fire” (1980; dir. Sh. Mahmudbeyov) – 1.2 mln;
12. “The Groom’s abduction” (1986; dir. C. Mirzayev and V. Mustafayev) – 1.4 mln;
13. “Heart… heart” (1977; dir. E. Guliyev) – 1.5 mln;
14. “The pages of life” (1975; dir. T. Bekirzadeh, F. Aliyev and G. Azimzadeh) – 1.5 mln;
15. “I Want to get married” (1984; dir. C. Mehdiyev) – 1.6 mln;
16. “Sound of the tutek” (1976; dir. R. Oghajov) – 1.6 mln;
17. “A country house for one family” (1979; dir. Y. Gusman) – 1.9 mln;
18. “A Personal visit to the German clinic” (1989; dir. R. Ismayilov) – 2.0 mln;
19. “Saddle the Horses” (1984; dirs. A. Mahmudov, H. Turabov) – 2.0 mln;
20. “The island of miracles” (1965; dir. H. Seyidbeyli) – 2.0 mln;
21. “Legend of Gumushgol” (1985; dir. E. Guliyev) – 2.1 mln;
22. “The Golden Goose” (1974; dir. T. Taghizadeh) – 2.2 mln;
23. “One fine day” (1978; dirs. R. Ibrahimbekov, Y. Gusman) – 2.3 mln;
24. “The shore of memories” (1973; dir. Y. Afandiyev) – 2.4 mln;
25. “The park” (1984; dir. R. Oghajov) – 2.6 mln;
26. “The price of happiness” (1978; dir. H. Seyidbayli) – 2.6 mln;
27. “The 1001st Tour” (1976; dir. O. Mirgasimov) – 2.6 mln;
28. “The earth, sea, fire, sky” (1970; dir. Sh. Mahmudbeyov) – 2.6 mln;
29. “Wait for the signal from the sea” (1987; dir. J. Mirzayev) – 2.7 mln;
30. “Fair wind” (1976; dir. E. Guliyev) – 2.7 mln;
31. “The day after tomorrow, at midnight” (1983; dir. A. Babayev) – 2.8 mln;
32. “The Half-finished Song” (1980; dir. M. Ibrahimbeyov) – 2.9 mln;
33. “Nizami” (1983; dir. E. Guliyev) – 2.9 mln;
34. “Morning” (1961; dir. A. Guliyev) – 2.9 mln;
35. “Road trip” (1982; dir. T. Bekirzadeh) – 3.1 mln;
36. “A True Friend” (1961; dir. T. Taghizadeh) – 3.1 mln;
37. “Darvish explodes Paris” (1978; dirs. Sh. Mahmudbeyov, K. Rustambekov) – 3.2 mln;
38. “The Golden cliff” (1981; dir. F. Aliyev) – 3.3 mln;
39. “Behind the closed door” (1982; dir. R. Ojagov) – 3.4 mln;
40. “Who do we love more?” (1966; dirs. A. Babayev, Z. Kazimova, H. Seyidbayli) – 3.4 mln;
41. “I loved you more than life” (1986; dir. R. Ismayilov) – 3.5 mln;
42. “The First hour of life” (1974; dir. A. Babayev) – 3.5 mln;
43. “Say that you love me” (1978; dir. M. Ibrahimbekov) – 3.7 mln;
44. “Shared Bread” (1971; dir. Sh. Mahmudbeyov) – 3.7 mln;
45. “In a Southern town” (1970; dir. E. Guliyev) – 3.7 mln;
46. “Knights of the black lake” (1985; dir. A. Abluj) – 3.8 mln;
47. “The day passed” (1972; dir. A. Babayev) – 3.9 mln;
48. “Bay of joy” (1978; dir. E. Guliyev) – 4.2 mln;
49. “Bravo, girls!” (1973; dir. E. Guliyev) – 4.3 mln;
50. “The scoundrel” (1989; dir. V. Mustafayev) – 4.4 mln;
51. “The Stars don’t fade” (1972; dir. A. Ibrahimov) – 4.5 mln;
52. “Mystery of the ship clock” (1983; dir. R. Shabanov) – 4.5 mln;
53. “The Treasure chest found in the tower” (1983; dir. G. Azimzadeh) – 4.9 mln;
54. “Sevil” (1971; dir. V. Gorikker) – 5.2 mln;
55. “Garib, in the land of genies” (1978; dir. A. S. Atakishev) – 5.4 mln;
56. “Painful Roads” (1983; dir. T. Ismayilov) – 5.6 mln;
57. “The Adventures of the violin” (1973; dir. Sh. Mahmudbeyov) – 5.6 mln;
58. “Dede Gorgud” (1977; dir. T. Tagizadeh) – 5.7 mln;
59. “Whirlwind” (1987; dir. E. Guliyev) – 6.0 mln;
60. “Life is beautiful, brother” (1967; dir. R. Asgarov, A. Voyazas) – 6.2 mln;
61. “The last mountain pass” (1972; dir. K. Rustambeyov) – 6.4 mln;
62. “Nasimi” (1975; dir. H. Seyidbayli) – 6.9 mln;
63. “Dusky girl” (1967; dir. Sh. Mahmudbeyov, R. Shabanov) – 6.9 mln;
64. “Life tests us” (1972; dir. Sh. Mahmudbeyov) – 7.2 mln;
65. “Ulduz” (1966; dir. A. Guliyev) – 7.5 mln;
66. “Why do you remain silent?” (1967; dir. H. Seyidbayli) – 7.7 mln;
67. “Muslum Magomayev Sings” (1972; dir. T. Ismayilov) – 8.6 mln;
68. “The Invincible battalion” (1966; dir. H. Seyidzadeh) – 8.7 mln;
69. “The most important interview” (1971; dir. E. Guliyev) – 8.8 mln;
70. “The Great support” (1963; dir. H. Ismayilov) – 8.9 mln;
71. “The Mother-in-law” (1980; dir. H. Seyidzadeh) – 9.2 mln;
72. “The Magic gown” (1965; dir. A. S. Atakishev) – 9.7 mln;
73. “My seven sons” (1971; dir. T. Tagizadeh) – 9.9 mln;
74. “The inquiry” (1980; dir. R. Oghajov) – 10.2 mln;
75. “Crazy Kura” (1970; dir. H. Seyidzadeh) – 10.4 mln;
76. “The Winds of Baku” (1975; dir. M. Dadashov) – 11.8 mln;
77. “Mammad the muleteer” (1975; dir. R. Oghajov) – 12.1 mln;
78. “I will dance” (1963; dir. T. Tagizadeh) – 14.2 mln;
79. “Where is Ahmad?” (1963; dir. A. Isgandarov) – 14.6 mln;
80. “A Blow from behind” (1979; dir. A. Babayev) – 15.0 mln;
81. “The Cloth peddler” (1945; dirs. R. Tahmasib, N. Leshchenko) – 16.2 mln;
82. “Romeo is my neighbor” (1964; dir. Sh. Mahmudbeyov) – 16.2 mln;
83. “Babek” (1980; dir. E. Guliyev) – 16.5 mln;
84. “The Cloth Peddler” (1966; dir. T. Tagizade) – 16.6 mln;
85. “Find that girl” (1971; dir. H. Seyidbayli) – 17.5 mln;
86. “The 26 Baku commissars” (1966; dir. N. Shengelaia) – 19.7 mln;
87. “Battle in the mountains” (1968; dir. K. Rustambeyov) – 21.5 mln;
88. “The Stepmother” (1959; dir. H. Ismayilov) – 21.8 mln;
89. “On distant shores” (1958; dir. T. Tagizadeh) – 27.5 mln;
90. “The inquiry is going on” (1967; dir. A. Atakishev) – 28.2 mln;

Source: From Leaders to Outsiders of Soviet Film Distribution: Attendance Data for Soviet Films (1950–1990). Moscow: OD “Information for All”, 2025.