Disney, Warner Bros., Sony have stopped filming in Russia due to the invasion of Ukraine

A screen shows the logo and ticker for The Walt Disney Company on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, USA, December 14, 2017. REUTERS / Brendan McDermid

February 28 – Hollywood studios Disney, Warner Bros. and Sony Pictures Entertainment said they would stop cinemas in upcoming films in Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine and the unfolding humanitarian crisis.

Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) said on Monday that it was pausing the release of theatrical films in Russia, starting with the upcoming edition of Pixar Animation Studios, “Turning Red”. Hours later, WarnerMedia said it would pause this week’s edition of Batman in Russia.

“We will make future business decisions based on the evolving situation,” a Disney statement said. “Meanwhile, given the scale of the emerging refugee crisis, we are working with our NGO partners to provide emergency and other humanitarian assistance.”

Given the ongoing hostilities in Ukraine, “we will pause our planned theatrical releases in Russia, including the upcoming edition of Morbius,” a spokesman for Sony Pictures Entertainment said in a statement.

Over the weekend, the Ukrainian Film Academy launched an online petition calling for an international boycott of Russian cinema and the Russian film industry after the invasion.

Russia is an important market for Hollywood, with $ 601 million at the box office in 2021, or about 2.8% of global ticket sales, which amounted to $ 21.4 billion last year, according to Comscore.

Several major films are scheduled for global release, “Batman”, which is scheduled for release in Russia on March 3 as part of the global release, and “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” by Paramount Pictures, which makes its global debut on April 8. .

WarnerMedia said it would continue to monitor the situation as it awaits “a speedy and peaceful resolution of this tragedy.”

A Hollywood trade publication reported that the studio’s executives were struggling with the Russian issue as the United States and its European allies imposed economic sanctions.

“If the United States and its allies want to tear Russia apart from the rest of the world, then how are we going to go on and release our films there?” A studio manager told The Hollywood Reporter.

Report by Dawn Chmielewski; Additional reports by Shubhendu Deshmukh; Edited by Sandra Mahler, Sri Navaratnam and Subhranshu Sahu

Our standards: ‘ principles of trust.