Major production companies in the U.S. are halting the release of their films as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues. Yesterday, Disney led the film sanction as they announced they would not be releasing Pixar’s Turning Red in the invading country. Since then, Warner Bros. and Sony have announced they halted the release of their upcoming films in Russia, including The Batman starring Robert Pattinson and Morbius starring Jared Leto.
“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 in a statement. “We will continue to monitor the situation as it evolves. We hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to this tragedy.”
The Batman was set to debut in Russia on March 3 as part of the film’s global rollout. Other upcoming Warner Bros. releases include Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (April 14) and DC League of Super-Pets (May 19). It’s not yet been announced if these will be withheld as well.
This morning, Paramount Pictures also joined its peers and announced they would not release the upcoming Sonic The Hedgehog sequel or the Sandra Bullock/Channing Tatum rom-com The Lost City in Russia.
“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 said in a statement.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Russia is one of Hollywood’s top global markets, meaning the companies will take a financial blow for this decision. Some features did continue to premiere in Russia over the weekend, including Joe Wright’s Cyrano and Paramount’s The Godfather 50th Anniversary.