Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many production houses have halted their planned releases in the country. Hollywood studios Disney, Warner Bros, and Sony Pictures Entertainment said they would pause theatrical releases of upcoming films in Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine and the unfolding humanitarian crisis.

“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 in a statement, adding, “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 to refugees.”

Within hours, Warner said it would pause this week’s release of The Batman in Russia. “In light of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, Warner Media 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 the studio said in a statement.

After this, Sony followed suit. “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,” the studio said in a statement referencing the SpiderMan spinoff slated for early April.

Over the weekend, the Ukrainian Film Academy created an online petition that called for an international boycott of Russian cinema and the Russian film industry following the invasion.

Russia is a significant market for Hollywood, accounting for $601 million in box office in 2021, or about 2.8% of worldwide ticket sales, which totaled $21. 4 billion last year, according to reports.

Several concerts planned in Russia and Ukraine have also been cancelled due to security reasons. Louis Tomlinson announced on February 28 that he is cancelling his upcoming tour shows in Moscow and Kyiv. He said, “Due to the recent events in Ukraine, I have to announce that my tour shows in Moscow and Kyiv are cancelled until further notice,” he wrote on Twitter.

American rock band Green Day also decided to cancel its concert in Moscow and said, “With heavy hearts, in light of current events we feel it is necessary to cancel our upcoming show in Moscow.”

Other musicians and groups that have cancelled their concerts in Russia include Yungblud, AJR – all showed support for Ukraine while announcing the cancellations.

As per reports, performances by several Russian ballet companies and musicians have been cancelled across US and UK,as part of the global boycott of Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.

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As per the Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros has pulled The Batman from its Russian release calendar in the aftermath of Russia’s continuous invasion of Ukraine. A spokesperson confirmed the news in a statement.

The Robert Pattinson-starrer was to release on March 3 in Russia in accordance with the film’s global roll-out. The decision has been taken despite Russia being a lucrative market for Hollywood, with Sony’s Spider-Man: No Way Home earning more than $44.5 million to date since opening in December.

Since the attack in the last week of February, Hollywood releases like Joe Wright’s Cyrano and Paramount’s The Godfather 50th Anniversary released in Russia. The decision to continue to send films to Russia sparked conversation over the weekend. 

Disney became the first big Hollywood studio to hit the pause button on releasing its movies in Russia as it cancelled the March 10 release of the comedy, Turning Red. The statement regarding The Batman quickly followed. 

Sony followed by announcing that it won’t release Morbius in Russia next month. The Jared Leto-starrer was due on March 24 in the country. The Motion Picture Association has also reportedly backed “the international community in upholding the rule of law and condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” as per a statement.