Disney, Sony & Warner Bros. halt movie releases in Russia in response to Ukraine invasion

Warner Bros., Walt Disney Co., and Sony Pictures anunced on February 28 that ir films will be "paused" in Russia, following Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Each studio has a number of important upcoming releases that are slated to hit atres throughout world in coming weeks.

Warner Bros. has halted release of ' Batman' in Russia, just days before movie was set to open in atres re. ' Batman,' one of most erly awaited pictures of year, was scheduled to release in rth America and a number of or locations, including Russia, on Friday, before halt.

"In light of humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, WarnerMedia is pausing release of its feature film ‘ Batman’ in Russia. We will continue to monitor situation as it evolves. We hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to this trdy," a studio representative stated in a statement.

Warner Bros. action came after Walt Disney Co. made a similar choice on Monday. Pixar movie 'Turning Red' was supposed to be released in Russia on March 10, according to company. In United States, that film will be available exclusively on Disney+. Furr, Warner Bros. was expected to proceed with Russian release of ' Batman' prior to Disney's anuncement.

"Given unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and tragic humanitarian crisis, we are pausing release of atrical films in Russia, including upcoming ‘Turning Red’ from Pixar. We will make future business decisions based on evolving situation. In meantime, given scale of emerging refugee crisis, we are working with our NGO partners to provide urgent aid and or humanitarian assistance to refugees," a Disney representative said in a statement. 

Ukrainian Film Academy called for global boycott of Russian film industry

Late Monday, Hollywood scrambled plans in Russia as international pressure intensified to cut ties with country over Ukraine conflict. As many countries attempted to block Russian banks, currency of Russia plummeted as a result of Western ecomic sanctions. Ukrainian Film Academy called for a global boycott of Russian film industry on Saturday.

Although Russia is t most important market for Hollywood, it consistently ranks in top dozen nations in world in terms of box office receipts. Sony jumped on bandwagon after Disney and Warner Bros. made ir anuncements. It is worth ting that 'Spider-Man: Way Home,' Sony's latest big hit with $1.85 billion in worldwide ticket sales, has grossed $46.7 million in Russia. Over last two weeks, Sony's most recent chart-topping title, Tom Holland's adventure 'Uncharted,' has grossed roughly $20 million in Russia.

(With inputs from ncies)

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