Hollywood studios have decided to halt the release of upcoming blockbuster films in Russia following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
“In light of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, WarnerMedia is pausing the release of its feature film The Batman in Russia,” a WarnerMedia spokesperson said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter in a piece published Monday.
#TheBatman, #TurningRed, #Sonic 2 and #TheLostCity are among the movies no longer being released in Russia #THRNews pic.twitter.com/T1SImiMwP6
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) March 1, 2022
“We will continue to monitor the situation as it evolves,” the statement added. “We hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to this tragedy.” (RELATED: ‘The Batman’ Filmmaker Matt Reeves Working On TV Series Based Off Same Universe)
The move by Warner Bros to stop the release of the highly-anticipated film, led by Robert Pattinson’s caped crusader, comes after Disney first announced it wouldn’t be releasing its upcoming Pixar movie due out in the country on March 10. (RELATED: Christian Bale Gets Robbed Of Best Actor Award At The Oscars For ‘Vice’)
“Given the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the tragic humanitarian crisis, we are pausing the release of theatrical films in Russia, including the upcoming ‘Turning Red’ from Pixar,” a spokesperson for the Walt Disney Co. told the outlet in a statement.
“We will make future business decisions based on the evolving situation,” the statement added. “In the meantime, given the scale of the emerging refugee crisis, we are working with our NGO partners to provide urgent aid and other humanitarian assistance to refugees.”
Sony followed suit and announced it would not be releasing Jared Leto’s “Morbius” on March 24 in Russia due to the invasion into the sovereign nation. (RELATED: Enes Kanter Says LeBron James’ Former Teammates Told Him The Basketball Star Only Cares About His ‘PR’)
“Given the ongoing military action in Ukraine and the resulting uncertainty and humanitarian crisis unfolding in that region, we will be pausing our planned theatrical releases in Russia, including the upcoming release of ‘Morbius,'” a Sony Pictures Entertainment spokesperson shared with the outlet. “Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who have been impacted and hope this crisis will be resolved quickly.”
Paramount has since announced it would halt the release of its theatrical films in Russia for “Sonic 2” and “The Lost City.”
It is worth noting that big movie studios have yet to pull films from the China box office market in protest of the Chinese Communist Party and its reported human rights abuses.