Matilda isn't due to hit cinema screens until autumn but some Orthodox believers have already declared the very idea of the film blasphemous and want it banned.
One radical group even sent hundreds of letters to cinemas, warning they would "burn" if they dared screen it. The Kremlin spokesman called that "unacceptable"; Alexei Uchitel has asked police to investigate.
The scandal around Matilda is just the latest instance of Orthodox believers' pressure on the arts, a growing trend which senior cultural figures warn is returning Russia to the days of state ideology and restrictions.
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