Disney, WarnerMedia pause new film releases in Russia

[LOS ANGELES] Major Hollywood entertainment companies including Walt Disney and WarnerMedia are pausing the releases of new films in Russia in response to the country's invasion of Ukraine.

Disney has put on hold the debut of the new Pixar movie "Turning Red", about a girl who turns into a giant panda, citing the "unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the tragic humanitarian crisis". The film will make its debut in the US on the Disney+ streaming service Mar 11.

"We will make future business decisions based on the evolving situation", the company said in a statement. Disney also said it would also work with international relief organizations to provide aid to refugees.

WarnerMedia, a division of AT&T, said it would delay the introduction of "The Batman", a installment of the DC Comics franchise starring Robert Pattinson as the titular superhero. It comes out Mar 4 in the US and is expected to be one of the year's highest-grossing pictures.

Sony Pictures Entertainment said it paused planned theatrical releases in Russia, including that of "Morbius", a Spider-Man spin-off starring Jared Leto. Paramount Pictures said on Tuesday (Mar 1) that it would delay the debuts of its films "The Lost City" and "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" in Russia.

Hollywood, like many other industries, is struggling with how to react to the invasion of Ukraine.

Russia was the ninth-largest foreign market for US films in 2019 and many new releases are scheduled to open there.

A senior manager at Disney's music group said in a message to music publishers that banking sanctions against Russia were preventing the company from receiving payments associated with its hit soundtrack "Encanto", according to a copy of the message which was posted by a third party on Twitter.

Songs from "Encanto" have been translated into Russian and Ukrainian, and were being downloaded frequently on YouTube. Disney said the manager's views were not reflective of the company as a whole. BLOOMBERG