Disney, Warner and Sony halting film releases in Russia over Ukraine invasion, report says Sony Pictures (Coolcaesar/WikiCommons)
Disney, Sony Pictures and Warner Bros. are pausing the theatrical release of new movies in Russia due to the invasion of Ukraine, according to a BBC report.
Major movies, including “The Batman,” “Turning Red” and “Morbius,” will not be released as scheduled now in the country, the report said, joining companies around the globe who are cutting business ties with Russia.
“Given the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the tragic humanitarian crisis, we are pausing the theatrical release of films in Russia,” Disney said.
Following Disney’s stand, delaying the Russian release of the Pixar animated film, “Turning Red,” Warner Bros. quickly followed.
“In light of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, WarnerMedia is pausing the release of its feature film ‘The Batman’ in Russia,” a Warner Bros. spokesperson said.
Sony also halted the release of the Marvel movie adaptation 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,” a spokesperson told the BBC.
Netflix also said that it will not comply with new Russian rules to carry state-backed channels.
“Given the current situation, we have no plans to add these channels to our service,” a spokesperson said.
Social networks like Twitter and Facebook also moved to limit the presence of Russian state-backed news outlet information on their platforms, the BBC reported.
Russia ‘un-investable’
According to the BBC, the latest moves come as other big companies try to distance themselves from Russia. Among the actions taken so far:
—Oil giants Shell and BP have said they will sell their Russian interests;
—French oil firm TotalEnergies will not finance new Russian projects;
—Visa and MasterCard have blocked multiple Russian financial institutions from their networks;
—Payment cards issued by sanctioned Russian banks do not work on Google Pay or Apple Pay;
—Canada is banning imports of Russian crude oil;
—Carmaker Jaguar Land Rover is pausing deliveries to Russia due to “trading challenges”;
—Transport giant Maersk is temporarily suspending container shipping to and from Russia, except food, medical and humanitarian supplies;
—Harley-Davidson has suspended its Russian business and all shipments to the country.
Lucy Coutts, investment director at JM Finn, told the BBC: “Russia is un-investable at the present time. The Russian economy has been absolutely slammed by a broadside of crushing Western sanctions.
“Its economy is seizing up, the rouble is worth less than one US cent, inflation is soaring, mortgage rates have gone from 7.5% to 18.6% overnight, and the Russian people are being forced to pay.”
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