The Walt Disney Company is halting the release of its upcoming films in Russia in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“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. 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,” a spokesperson for The Walt Disney Company said in a statement.
Disney is the first movie studio to take a stance against Russia. It is currently unclear how long the ban will remain in place. The next tentpole Disney has on the slate is the upcoming “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” from Marvel Studios which is set to open on May 6. “Spider-Man: No Way Home” which was released by Sony last year, grossed $45 million in Russia.
TheWrap has reached out to representatives from the other movie studios earlier Monday and have not yet heard back.
Earlier today, Netflix says it has no plans to add any state-run Russian channels to its service, which under a Russian regulation could try and mandate that Netflix carry the stations.
“Given the current situation, we have no plans to add these channels to our service,” a Netflix spokesman told TheWrap on Monday. The statement alludes to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The spokesperson did not comment on whether it had informed Russia of any decision.
