Ukraine war: Disney, Sony, others ‘pausing’ new movie releases in Russia amid invasion
Disney’s decision comes as the U.S. and Western allies are attempting to punish Russia with crippling economic sanctions
Putin has not unleased full force of Russian military: Rebeccah Heinrichs
National security analyst discusses Putin's attack strategy in Ukraine on 'Fox Business Tonight.'
Disney is pulling the plug on new movie releases in Russia and getting involved in humanitarian efforts amid the country’s full-scale invasion of its smaller neighbor, Ukraine.
"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 company spokesperson said in a statement Monday. "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."
A satellite image shows a blaze at warehouse and destroyed fields in Chernihiv, Ukraine February 28, 2022. Inset: Disney logo. (BLACKSKY/Handout via REUTERS)
"Turning Red" stars Rosalie Chiang as a 13-year-old whose family is cursed to randomly transform into a giant red panda whenever she feels strong emotions. It comes out on Disney+ in the U.S. on March 11.
RUSSIA INVADES UKRAINE: LIVE UPDATES
Disney’s decision comes as the U.S. and Western allies are attempting to punish Russia with crippling economic sanctions.
Stocks In This Article:
Deadline reported that the Russian box office contributed $445 million last year.
At the same time, Warner’s upcoming "The Batman" movie, starring Robert Pattinson, is still slated for a Russian release later this week, according to the entertainment outlet.
Other Western businesses are also moving to sever ties with Russia, including the British Shell PLC, which is pulling out of the country and ending a deal to work with the state-owned Gazprom energy giant.
A Ukrainian service member loads ammunition into cartridges, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in central Zhytomyr, Ukraine February 28, 2022.
Meta, Facebook’s parent company, also said Monday it would restrict Russian state-controlled media on its platforms in Europe due to the invasion.
Warner Bros. announced it was pausing the release of "The Batman" in Russia.
"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 spokesperson for WarnerMedia told Fox Business.
Sony Pictures also paused theatrical releases in Russia, including the release of "Morbius."
"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. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who have been impacted and hope this crisis will be resolved quickly," a spokesperson for Sony told Fox Business.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has been praised around the world for his defiance of Russian invaders and has refused to evacuate the besieged capital, Kyiv, was an actor and comedian before he was a politician.
He voiced "Paddington," the human-like bear in children’s books and movies, in Ukrainian dubs of the live-action film, and played a president on TV before he became one in real life. His wife is also a screenwriter.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
Meanwhile, Disney is still active in China, a much larger market and where the communist government is accused of keeping up to a million ethnic-minority Uyghur Muslims in concentration camps in Xinjiang.
Fox News' Lucas Manfredi contributed to this report.