The Walt Disney Company announced on Monday that it will not release its new films in Russia due to the invasion of Ukraine.
“Given the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the tragic humanitarian crisis, we will pause the release of our films in Russia, including Pixar’s upcoming ‘Turning Red,'” the company said in a statement.
So far, Disney is the only Hollywood studio to apply this measure four days after Russia began invading Ukraine.
The company added that “it will make future commercial decisions” as the situation evolves and assured that it will provide humanitarian assistance through other collaborating NGOs.
Even so, Disney did not clarify how long the measure will last and if it will remain in force when the release date of ” Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ” arrives, a Marvel tape scheduled for May 6.
Netflix will not comply with Russian regulations
For its part, Netflix confirmed on Monday that it will not comply with Russia’s new audiovisual law, which would force the platform to include twenty public channels in order to operate in the country.
The legislation, which was scheduled to take effect on March 1, requires Netflix and other audiovisual services to broadcast content from Kremlin-affiliated media such as Channel One, the NTV entertainment network and the Orthodox Church Channel.
Netflix’s announcement came hours after the technology company Meta confirmed that it will restrict access to the RT network and the Sputnik agency, media affiliated with the Russian government, on its social networks – which include Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp – at the request of the European Union (EU).
