{ "id": "epk17dr36f", "slug": "day-watch", "title": "Day Watch (Дневной Дозор)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series", "label": "Franchise and series entries as standalone works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series.franchise-series.action-thriller-series-entries", "label": "Action, thriller, and crime series film entries", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series.franchise-series.action-thriller-series-entries" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series.franchise-series.action-thriller-series-entries.entries-released-in-the-2000s", "label": "Entries released in the 2000s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series.franchise-series.action-thriller-series-entries.entries-released-in-the-2000s" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series.franchise-series.action-thriller-series-entries.entries-released-in-the-2000s.yr-2005-2009", "label": "Released 2005 to 2009", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series.franchise-series.action-thriller-series-entries.entries-released-in-the-2000s.yr-2005-2009" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.eeu.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Eastern Europe · 2001 to 2020: Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.eeu.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films", "path": [ { "id": "geo.eeu", "label": "Eastern Europe", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.eeu" }, { "id": "geo.eeu.t2001", "label": "Eastern Europe · 2001 to 2020", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.eeu.t2001" }, { "id": "geo.eeu.t2001.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.eeu.t2001.culture" }, { "id": "geo.eeu.t2001.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.eeu.t2001.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.eeu.t2001.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.eeu.t2001.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.eeu.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.eeu.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Day Watch (Дневной Дозор) is a 2006 Russian urban fantasy film directed by Timur Bekmambetov, a sequel to Night Watch set in a Moscow divided between forces of Light and Darkness.", "snippet": "Day Watch (Дневной Дозор) is a 2006 Russian urban fantasy film directed by Timur Bekmambetov, a sequel to Night Watch set in a Moscow divided between forces of Light and Darkness.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series.franchise-series.action-thriller-series-entries.entries-released-in-the-2000s.yr-2005-2009", "markdown": "# Day Watch (Дневной Дозор)\n\n**Day Watch** (Дневной Дозор) is a 2006 Russian urban fantasy film directed by [Timur Bekmambetov](https://www.edgepedia.org/timur-bekmambetov) and the sequel to his 2004 film *[Night Watch](https://www.edgepedia.org/night-watch-2004-film)*. It premiered in Russia on 1 January 2006 and continues the story of Anton Gorodetsky, a member of the Light forces' Night Watch, in a present-day Moscow where a medieval truce between the Forces of Light and the Forces of Darkness is threatened with collapse.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/oct/07/features.review127)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Director / screenwriters | Timur Bekmambetov; screenplay by Bekmambetov, Sergei Lukyanenko, and Aleksandr Talal[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/day_watch) |\n| Budget / worldwide gross | $4.2 million budget; $42,918,532 worldwide, of which $31,965,087 came from Russia/CIS[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0409904/) • [4](https://filmdb.co.uk/box-office/movie/day-watch-2006-box-office) |\n| US release | Limited release June 1, 2007; grossed $450,897 in the United States[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/day_watch) • [3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0409904/) |\n| Central artifact | The Chalk of Fate (Мел судьбы), which can rewrite destiny in specific ways[5](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/day-watch-film-review-by-andrew-robertson) |\n| Awards | MTV Russia Movie Award for Best Film (2006); Golden Eagle Awards (2007) for Best Film Editing and Best Sound[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0409904/awards/) |\n| Critical scores | 62% Tomatometer (94 reviews) and 68% Popcornmeter (25,000+ ratings) on Rotten Tomatoes[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/day_watch) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise and story\n\nThe film is set in a Moscow where the age-old battle between the Forces of Light and the Forces of Darkness ended in a medieval truce: since then the Light have policed the night and the Dark have patrolled the day, and someone is now attempting to provoke a war to end all wars.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/oct/07/features.review127) Anton Gorodetsky (Konstantin Khabensky), a Light Other of only moderate power, serves in the Night Watch and is falsely accused of murdering vampires; he sets out to find the real killer and to find an ancient object with the power to alter destiny.[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0409904/)\n\n**The Great Others.** Anton mentors Svetlana (Mariya Poroshina), a \"Great Light Other\" capable of terrifying acts, while his estranged son Yegor (Dmitry Martynov), though Anton is Light, is a \"Great Dark Other\" who will attain full power on his imminent fourteenth birthday. With two Great Others in Moscow, the Night Watch, the Day Watch, and the [Inquisition](https://www.edgepedia.org/inquisition) fear that conflict between them would mean apocalypse; Yegor's guardian Zavulon (Viktor Verzhbitskiy) has a vested interest in keeping him under control.[5](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/day-watch-film-review-by-andrew-robertson) The witch Alisa (Zhanna Friske) dreams of leaving Zavulon and falls in love with a young vampire.[7](https://chaik.kassir.ru/film/dnevnoy-dozor)\n\n**The Chalk of Fate.** The film's McGuffin is the Chalk of Fate (Мел судьбы), introduced in a prologue in which Tamerlane rewrites his own destiny after being mortally wounded by an enemy he had spared. The chalk can rewrite destiny, but only in specific and certain ways, and the film dramatizes both its limits and the places where its power may be directed.[5](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/day-watch-film-review-by-andrew-robertson) • [8](https://kino.mail.ru/cinema/movies/623440_dnevnoj_dozor/)\n\n## Relationship to the novel\n\nThe film takes its title from [Sergei Lukyanenko](https://www.edgepedia.org/sergei-lukyanenko)'s 2000 novel *Day Watch*, the second book of the *Watch* cycle, which Lukyanenko co-wrote with Vladimir Vasiliev.[9](https://ast.ru/cycle/tsikl-dozory/) • [10](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-jun-01-et-daywatch1-story.html) The adaptation is loose: the film's story was completely rewritten from the novel, retaining the main characters and central conflicts while using the book's plot mainly as a springboard, a choice made to fit cinematic structure and to appeal to viewers who had not read the books.[11](https://www.peoples.ru/tv/ernst/interview1.html) • [12](https://www.ixbt.com/dvd/dvd_review_daywatch.shtml) Lukyanenko co-wrote the screenplay and appears in a cameo role.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/day_watch)\n\n## Production and release\n\nThe film was produced by Konstantin Ernst and Anatoly Maximov for Channel One Russia with Bazelevs Production and TABBAK, on a budget of $4.2 million.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/day_watch) • [4](https://filmdb.co.uk/box-office/movie/day-watch-2006-box-office) Yuri Poteenko composed the score and Sergey Trofimov was the cinematographer.[8](https://kino.mail.ru/cinema/movies/623440_dnevnoj_dozor/) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0409904/awards/) Reported running times differ by version: [Box Office Mojo](https://www.edgepedia.org/box-office-mojo) lists 2 hours 12 minutes for the international release, Rotten Tomatoes 2 hours 19 minutes for the US cut, and Russian sources list 2 hours 26 minutes.[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0409904/) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/day_watch) • [7](https://chaik.kassir.ru/film/dnevnoy-dozor) The international cut differs structurally from the Russian release; the third act was rewritten to close off storylines for a potential co-production with Fox Searchlight.[5](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/day-watch-film-review-by-andrew-robertson) • [13](https://vn.20minut.ua/Kult-podii/pervogo-yanvarya-na-ekranyi-kinoteatrov-vyishel-dolgozhdannyiy-film-ti-33813.html)\n\n## Box office\n\nDay Watch earned $42,918,532 worldwide against its $4.2 million budget, a gross-to-budget multiple of about 10.2 times.[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0409904/) • [4](https://filmdb.co.uk/box-office/movie/day-watch-2006-box-office) The original release from January 2006 grossed $38,411,815 internationally, with Russia/CIS accounting for $31,965,087; a 2007 re-release across 32 markets added $4,506,717, of which only $450,897 came from the United States, about 1.1 percent of the total.[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0409904/) The film outperformed its predecessor, which had grossed $15.87 million in CIS territories in 2004.[14](https://im2.kommersant.ru/ISSUES.PDF/Tema%20Business%20Guide/2007/0970606/TEMA_97_060607.PDF)\n\n## Reception\n\nCritical response was mixed. The Rotten Tomatoes critics consensus calls the film \"frequently cheesy\" but credits it with enough twists, surprises, and inventive action sequences to hold interest; the audience score of 68 percent runs above the 62 percent critics score.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/day_watch) Reviewers repeatedly faulted the narrative: Jonathan Rosenbaum of the *Chicago Reader* wrote that \"narrative incoherence continues to reign supreme,\" and Mike Scott of the *Times-Picayune* found the story short-circuits in its second half, while Jennie Kermode of *Eye for Film* gave it 4 of 5.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/day_watch) Philip French in *The Observer* called it an \"even less coherent follow-up\" to *Night Watch*, half an hour longer with more elaborate special effects.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/oct/07/features.review127) Andrew Robertson, also reviewing for *Eye for Film*, judged it a stunning, well-executed action film with a well-deployed McGuffin and praised the stylized subtitling carried over from the first film, in which words hang in the air and change as characters realize things.[5](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/day-watch-film-review-by-andrew-robertson)\n\nThe film won the MTV Russia Movie Award for Best Film in 2006, with Zhanna Friske taking Best Actress and Viktor Verzhbitskiy Best Movie Villain, and at the 2007 Golden Eagle Awards it won Best Film Editing (Dmitriy Kiselev) and Best Sound while being nominated for Best Feature Film.[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0409904/awards/)\n\n## Legacy\n\nBekmambetov had planned a third film, *Twilight Watch*, to complete a trilogy, but instead used the franchise's success to move to Hollywood, directing *Wanted* (2008); the third film was never made.[15](https://ecency.com/%40drax/film-review-day-watch-dnevnoy-dozor-2006) The *Watch* book cycle itself continued, reaching six novels by 2014 with a seventh announced.[9](https://ast.ru/cycle/tsikl-dozory/) The film's visual effects, produced on a modest budget, were seen as a demonstration of the capabilities of the Russian VFX industry, with 833 effects shots and roughly 30 percent of the budget spent on them.[16](https://d2fahduf2624mg.cloudfront.net/pre_purchase_docs/BK_INNO_001303/2020-06-24-12-16-43/bk_inno_001303.pdf)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Philip French, \"Day Watch\", The Observer / The Guardian, 7 October 2007](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/oct/07/features.review127)\n2. [Day Watch, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/day_watch)\n3. [Day Watch (2006), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0409904/)\n4. [Day Watch (2006) box office, FilmDB](https://filmdb.co.uk/box-office/movie/day-watch-2006-box-office)\n5. [Andrew Robertson, \"Day Watch\" review, Eye for Film](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/day-watch-film-review-by-andrew-robertson)\n6. [Day Watch (2006) Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0409904/awards/)\n7. [Дневной дозор, KASSIR.RU](https://chaik.kassir.ru/film/dnevnoy-dozor)\n8. [Дневной дозор (2006), Кино Mail.ru](https://kino.mail.ru/cinema/movies/623440_dnevnoj_dozor/)\n9. [Цикл «Дозоры», Издательство АСТ](https://ast.ru/cycle/tsikl-dozory/)\n10. [Kevin Crust, \"Centuries-long battle continues in 'Day Watch'\", Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2007](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-jun-01-et-daywatch1-story.html)\n11. [«С новым Дозором!», интервью с Константином Эрнстом, Peoples.ru](https://www.peoples.ru/tv/ernst/interview1.html)\n12. [Обзор DVD «Дневной дозор», iXBT](https://www.ixbt.com/dvd/dvd_review_daywatch.shtml)\n13. [«Дневной дозор» вышел на экраны, 20 хвилин Вінниця, 6 января 2006](https://vn.20minut.ua/Kult-podii/pervogo-yanvarya-na-ekranyi-kinoteatrov-vyishel-dolgozhdannyiy-film-ti-33813.html)\n14. [Kommersant Business Guide, 2007](https://im2.kommersant.ru/ISSUES.PDF/Tema%20Business%20Guide/2007/0970606/TEMA_97_060607.PDF)\n15. [Film Review: Day Watch (Dnevnoy Dozor, 2006), Ecency](https://ecency.com/%40drax/film-review-day-watch-dnevnoy-dozor-2006)\n16. [BK_INNO_001303 document on Day Watch production facts](https://d2fahduf2624mg.cloudfront.net/pre_purchase_docs/BK_INNO_001303/2020-06-24-12-16-43/bk_inno_001303.pdf)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Franchise and series entries as standalone works › Action, thriller, and crime series film entries › Entries released in the 2000s › Released 2005 to 2009*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/day-watch", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/day-watch.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Day Watch (Дневной Дозор)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/day-watch. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Day Watch (Дневной Дозор)](https://www.edgepedia.org/day-watch)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/day-watch](https://www.edgepedia.org/day-watch). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Day Watch (Дневной Дозор)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/day-watch. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Day Watch is a 2006 Russian urban fantasy film directed by Timur Bekmambetov, a sequel to Night Watch set in a Moscow divided between forces of Light and Darkness." }