Some of the biggest Hollywood studios are pausing the theatrical releases of their films in Russia following this government’s attack on Ukraine.
The Walt Disney Company was the first major studio in taking a tough stance against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, announcing on Monday that it would halt all theatrical releases in the country, including Pixar’s new film ‘Turning Red’.
Also on Monday, Warner Bros. and Sony announced that they would not release films in the country. Paramount Pictures did the same today Tuesday.
“We will take future commercial decisions depending on the evolution of the situation. In the meantime, given the scale of the emerging refugee crises, we are working with our partner NGOs to provide urgent relief and other humanitarian assistance to refugees,” Disney said in a statement on its official site.
Warner Bros. said it was pausing the release of the movie “The Batman,” which was scheduled to be released this week. And Sony also said it is postponing all of its planned theatrical releases in the region, including ‘Morbius’. Paramount’s ‘The Lost City’ and ‘Sonic, the Hedgehog 2’ also will be stopped in the Russian market.
Although ticket sales in Russia are not as significant as in China , is still an important market for Hollywood studios. On average, the Russian box office accounts for about 3% of all ticket sales worldwide.
The decisions of Disney and Warner Bros. to stop releasing films in Russia add to a wave from other boycotts of the entertainment industry.
There is the case of Netflix which said it will not comply with Russian rules to broadcast news channels amid the escalation of the Russian invasion in Ukraine.
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