Disney Pausing Theatrical Releases In Russia Following Invasion Of Ukraine; ‘The Batman’ Still Opening Despite Economic Sanctions

deadline.com:

Hollywood hasn’t been the most bullish about taking an action that would dent its bottom line, but Disney today has taken the bold move of pulling its theatrical releases from Russia temporarily in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine.We hear that other studios were scrambling to formulate their own strategies today.Disney has set the tone, issuing an economic ban against a market that minted more than $445M at the box office last year and as much as $1.3 billion in 2013 (per Box Office Mojo).“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. “We 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.”It’s not clear how long Disney’s ban of its movies in Russia will go on.

Disney/Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is set to kick off summer on May 6. The most recent MCU title, Spider-Man: No Way Home from Sony, grossed close to $45M in Russia.The MPA may issue a response on the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

While the MPA historically provides guidance to the majors on foreign policy, it’s the studios themselves which ultimately make the decision as to how they’ll conduct their foreign affairs.In addition, Warner Bros is sticking to its March 3 release date for Matt Reeves’ The Batman in Russia.