Warner Bros, Disney, and Sony, have halted the release of films in Russian cinemas, after the invasion of Ukraine.
The announcements mean the releases of major movies: ‘The Batman’, ‘Turning Red’ and ‘Morbius’ will not go ahead as scheduled in the country.
This came as governments around the world have been ramping up their sanctions against Moscow.
In recent days, global corporations, including carmakers and energy giants, have cut business ties with Russia.
Warner Bros blockbuster, ‘The Batman’ was due to be released in Russia on Friday, 5th March 2021.
“In light of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, WarnerMedia is pausing the release of its feature film ‘The Batman’ in Russia”, a spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, Disney has delayed the Russian release of the Pixar animated film, Turning Red.
“Given the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the tragic humanitarian crisis, we are pausing the theatrical release of films in Russia”, Disney said in a statement.
The entertainment giant further noted that it would work with its non-governmental organizations to provide “urgent aid and other humanitarian assistance to refugees”.
Sony has also halted the release of its Marvel adaptation Morbius in the country. A spokesperson said: “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”.
Meanwhile, Netflix has indicated that it will not comply with new Russian rules to carry state-backed channels.
“Given the current situation, we have no plans to add these channels to our service“, a Netflix spokesperson said.
Tech platforms, Twitter and Facebook, have also moved to limit the presence of Russian state-backed news outlet information on their platforms as these have been accused of spreading misinformation about the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Meta, which owns Facebook, disclosed that it would restrict access in the European Union to state-owned media outlets RT and Sputnik.
Twitter also noted it would add warnings to tweets that share links to Russian state-affiliated media.
Twitter’s head of site integrity, Yoel Roth, disclosed that the platform has seen more than 45,000 tweets per day that were sharing links to these media outlets.
Artists Cancel Tour in Russia
Several musicians have also taken the step to cancel their tour shows in Russia to stand in solidarity with the Ukrainians. Louis Tomlinson and Franz Ferdinand are the latest music stars to pull gigs in Russia due to the conflict in Ukraine.
US band Green Day and pop-punk star Yungblud have also canceled dates.
Tomlinson said his shows in Moscow, and in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv – which has been under attack from Russia, are postponed “until further notice”.
“The safety of my fans is my priority and my thoughts go out to the people of Ukraine and all those suffering from this needless war”, he posted online.
The singer had been due to appear at Kyiv’s Stereo Plaza and Moscow’s Crocus City Hall in July.
Other artists already confirmed to have scrapped performances include the US noise rock band Health and Russian rapper Oxxxymiron.
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