Ukraine crisis: Hollywood joins sanctions list; Warner Bros, Disney, and Sony pull scheduled releases from Russia

Russia is a significant Hollywood market and accounted for $601 million in box office business, or about 2.8% of global ticket sales, in 2021, Comscore data shows.

Written by FE News Desk

March 1, 2022 13:18 IST

The Walt Disney Co said on Monday that it was pausing theatrical releases in Russia, starting with Turning Red, an upcoming release. (Reuters)

Hollywood is joining the sanctions imposed on Russia following the Kremlin’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, with the biggest studios pulling their films from the country. Warner Bros., Disney, and Sony Pictures Entertainment have announced that they would pause upcoming theatrical releases in Russia in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent humanitarian crisis, Reuters reported.

The Walt Disney Co said on Monday that it was pausing theatrical releases in Russia, starting with Turning Red, an upcoming Pixar Animation Studios release. Within hours, WarnerMedia announced that it would pause the release of The Batman in Russia this week.

In a statement, Disney said its future business decisions would be based on the evolving situation.

Given the scale of the emerging humanitarian crisis, the studio is also working with its NGO partners to provide aid and other humanitarian assistance, it said.

A Sony Pictures Entertainment spokesperson told Reuters that studio would pause the planned theatrical releases in Russia, including Morbius, given the ongoing military action in Ukraine.

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The Ukrainian Film Academy created an online petition over the weekend, calling for an international boycott of Russian films and the Russian film industry.

Russia is a significant Hollywood market and accounted for $601 million in box office business, or about 2.8% of global ticket sales, in 2021, according to data from Comscore.

Major films are in line for a global release over the next couple of months — The Batman is scheduled to open on March 3 in Russia as part of a global rollout and Paramount Pictures’ Sonic the Hedgehog 2, which makes its debut on April 8.

WarnerMedia said it would monitor the situation and wait for a swift and peaceful resolution.

Studio executives told The Hollywood Reporter that they were wrestling with the Russia question amid the US and its European allies’ economic sanctions.