Unless you’re a certain former president or a certain current Fox News host, you’re probably very much against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The pushback has been severe, both on the ground and from those very far away. Sanctions have helped tank the ruble; Russian president Vladimir Putin, with few friends left, is reportedly going “feral.” This is on the very low end of the scale, but there’s also this: The nation’s moviegoers won’t be watching a bunch of highly anticipated blockbusters any time soon.
As per Deadline, a number of studios are “pausing” the Russian releases of their big films. It started with Disney, who announced they were putting their releases on hold, including the new Pixar joint Turning Red. It wasn’t clear how long the “pause” will last, and if it will affect another big upcoming release, Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, which is scheduled to kick off the summer movie season on May 6.
Warner Bros. followed suit by blocking The Batman, the long-delayed, much-hyped new take on the Caped Crusader that’s due elsewhere, including in America, on Friday. In a statement, the studio said they will “monitor the situation as it evolves” and that they “hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to this tragedy.”
And then came Sony. They put a hold on Morbius, the Jared Leto-starring vampire comic book movie, which also includes an appearance, at least, from Michael Keaton’s Vulture, the baddie he played in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Sony, too, hoped the crisis “will be resolved quickly.”
In the meantime, the fight to drive Russian forces from Ukraine continues, with help from its own president.
(Via Deadline)
