Hollywood Studios Disney, Warner Bros., and Sony Pictures have said that they will be stopping theatrical releases of upcoming films in Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine. The Walt Disney Company said on Monday it is pausing the release of theatrical films in Russia, starting with its upcoming Pixar Animation release, ‘Turning Red.’
WarnerMedia too will not be releasing Robert Pattinson’s The Batman in response to the humanitarian crisis. Disney went on to state that future business decisions will be made based on the evolving situation. ‘In the meantime, given the scale of the emerging refugee crisis, we are working with our NGO partners to provide aid and other humanitarian assistance’ it said.
Sony also went on to pause the planned theatrical releases in Russia, including the upcoming release of Morbius. Over the weekend, the Ukrainian Film Academy created an online petition which called for an international boycott of Russian cinema and film industry following the invasion. Russia is still a significant market for Hollywood, accounting for around $601 million box office in 2021, which is approximately 2.8% of worldwide ticket sales. This comes as several countries sanction Russia as well as its President Putin.
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