Two well-known Hollywood studios, Disney and Warner Bros. have agreed to stop releasing their films in Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
As a first step, The Walt Disney Co. on Monday (28/2) canceled the release of the film Turning Red in Russia. The film is produced by Pixar Animation Studios, which is under the auspices of Disney.
In a statement, Disney also said it would work with their NGO partners to provide urgent and other humanitarian assistance to Ukrainian refugees.
Disney has yet to make a definite decision about its future business. Decisions will be made based on the evolving situation.
Shortly after, WarnerMedia announced it would cancel the Russian release of The Batman film, which was scheduled to hit Russia on March 3 as part of the global launch.
WarnerMedia said it would continue to monitor the situation pending a speedy and peaceful resolution of the conflict.
Apart from Hollywood, the Ukrainian Film Academy has also created an online petition calling for an international boycott of Russian films and the film industry in condemnation of the invasion.
Launching Reuters, Comscore data noted, Russia is one of the most important markets for the Hollywood film industry. Russia accounted for about $601 million at the box office in 2021, or about 2.8% of worldwide ticket sales.
To The Hollywood Reporter, a film studio official said he was worried that he would no longer be able to release his work in Russia due to the conflict. Moreover, after the US and its European allies imposed economic sanctions on Russia.
"If the US and its allies want to separate Russia from the rest of the world, then how are we going to release our film there?" said a studio executive who was interviewed anonymously.
