They will continue to monitor the situation as it develops
On Monday night, Disney, Warner Bros. Pictures, and Sony pulled their films from release in Russia, citing the country’s invasion of Ukraine as the reason behind their decisions. Paramount Pictures followed suit early Tuesday morning. This includes some highly anticipated films coming out in the next few months, such as Pixar’s Turning Red, The Batman, Morbius, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2. All the studios issued statements regarding the situation.
“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 Disney spokesperson said in a statement.
“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 spokesperson said late Monday. “Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who have been impacted and hope this crisis will be resolved quickly.”
“In light of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, WarnerMedia is pausing the release of its feature film The Batman in Russia,” a spokesperson for Warner Bros. said. “We will continue to monitor the situation as it evolves. We hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to this tragedy.”
“As we witness the ongoing tragedy in Ukraine, we have decided to pause the theatrical release of our upcoming films in Russia, including The Lost City, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2. We stand by all those impacted by the humanitarian crisis across Ukraine, Russia, and our international markets and will continue to monitor the situation as it unfolds,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
On Feb. 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion into Ukraine. This comes after a long history of tension between the countries. In response, the United States and other nations have imposed sanctions on Russia. Disney, Warner, Sony, and Paramount are the first studios to pull their films from theatrical release, though the greater entertainment industry has taken other actions, such as Netflix refusing to play a Russian propaganda channel. For more information on the developing situation, check out Vox.com’s in-depth look at the invasion.
