Hollywood Pauses Theatrical Releases in Russia over Ukraine Invasion

Several major movie studios in Hollywood are taking action against Russia in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

Disney issued an economic ban against a market that allocated over $445M at the box office last year.

“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,” said Disney in a statement this afternoon.

The studio noted that it will make future business decisions based on the evolving situation.

"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,” Disney added.

The Motion Picture Association issued Monday its first statement since the Ukraine invasion began, saying:

“The Motion Picture Association stands with the international community in upholding the rule of law and condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine," said the association.

"On behalf of our member companies, who lead the film, TV, and streaming industry, we express our strongest support for Ukraine’s vibrant creative community who, like all people, deserve to live and work peacefully," the MPA added.

"We will continue to monitor the situation, working closely with our members and partners throughout the global creative sector,".

Warner Bros pulled its March 3 release date for Matt Reeves’ "The Batman" from Russian cinemas indefinitely due to the country'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. We will continue to monitor the situation as it evolves. We hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to this tragedy," a WarnerMedia spokesperson said in a statement on Monday.

Paramount paused the release of the Sandra Bullock-Channing Tatum-Brad Pitt romantic comedy adventure "The Lost City" and "Sonic the Hedgehog 2", from Russia as the Ukraine invasion continues.

“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,” Paramount announced in a statement.

"Morbius" and all other upcoming Sony releases have been paused in Russia due to the invasion of Ukraine.

"Given the ongoing military action in Ukraine and the resulting uncertainty and humanitarian crisis unfolding in that region” Sony announced in a statement.

"We will be pausing our planned theatrical releases in Russia, including the upcoming release of Morbius. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who have been impacted and hope this crisis will be resolved quickly,".

On February 24, Russia launched a large-scale military attack on Ukraine. The invasion has caused bloodshed, forced more than 150,000 people to flee the country.

In response, the U.S. and many of its allies have imposed economic sanctions on Russia, including the loss of a natural gas pipeline and the financing of two major Russian banks.

The entertainment industry also condemned Russia for the invasion, with Netflix declining to carry Russian propaganda channels and U.K. media regulator Ofcom investigating news programs on the Russia-backed RT channel.