Disney and Warner Bros. Will Pause Movie Releases in Russia
How long of a pause for the studios? It was unclear. Given the marketing runway needed to release films in theaters, Disney’s action will almost assuredly affect two other films, however. They are Marvel’s “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” scheduled for release on May 5 in Russia, and the animated “Bob’s Burgers,” scheduled for May 26. Warner’s coming movies include “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” and “DC League of Super Pets.”
Both companies have additional operations in Russia. Disney, for instance, has a Disney Channel and touring stage productions. Disney did not address any of those in its statement. “We will make future business decisions based on the evolving situation,” the statement said. Disney added that it was working with unspecified partner organizations to provide “urgent aid and other humanitarian assistance to refugees.”
Russia is a small box-office market. “Free Guy” was Disney’s top release there last year, according to IMDBpro, a film industry database. It collected $11.2 million in Russia, about 3 percent of its worldwide gross of $331.5 million.
Before the pandemic, Russia was the No. 9 market for Hollywood outside the United States, according to the Motion Picture Association. Ticket sales for American-made movies totaled about $900 million in Russia in 2019. In the No. 1 foreign market, China, sales for Hollywood totaled $9.3 billion in 2019.
The Motion Picture Association, which lobbies around the world for Netflix, Disney, Paramount, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros., released a statement on Monday night condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “On behalf of our member companies, who lead the film, TV and streaming industry, we express our strongest support for Ukraine’s vibrant creative community who, like all people, deserve to live and work peacefully.”