Obviously, when you think of stories affecting the entire world right now, the idea that “The Batman” is on the verge of hitting theaters doesn’t feel very important. There’s the ongoing pandemic and the hostilities in Ukraine that are both way more worthy of your attention than wondering what’s going to happen in “Morbius,” right? Well, at The Playlist, we discuss films and TV shows and try to avoid writing stories outside of that realm. However, thanks to the recent actions of the major studios in Hollywood, it appears the real world and our little niche are overlapping a bit.
According to Variety, it appears Disney has led the charge in a theatrical boycott of Russia in response to the country’s recent invasion of Ukraine. According to Disney, the studio has decided to halt all Russian theatrical releases for the time being, including the upcoming Pixar film, “Turning Red,” due to the hostilities.
“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. “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.”
Soon after Disney announced its plans, various other studios joined in, with WarnerMedia making the biggest move by announcing that “The Batman” would be skipping Russia for now.
“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. “We will continue to monitor the situation as it evolves. We hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to this tragedy.”
Sony and Paramount also joined in on the boycott, halting the upcoming releases of “Morbius,” “The Lost City,” and “Sonic the Hedgehog 2,” among others.
Obviously, in the larger picture, these moves aren’t going to change the course of Russia’s invasion in any meaningful way. However, if other major corporations band together to stop business with Russia, perhaps it could add to the pressure already facing the country as it continues its invasion of Ukraine.
That said, if you read this and think the studios are doing a full-scale boycott, you’re mistaken. There are still films, such as Disney/20th Century’s “Death on the Nile” and Sony’s “Uncharted,” which are still in theaters locally in Russia. So, it just seems, at this point, as if the studios are preventing future releases from entering Russian theaters.