Hollywood is also positioning itself in the Ukraine war: Several studios have announced that they no longer want to bring their films to the cinemas in Russia – at least for the time being.
Los Angeles – In view of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, several US studios have announced that they will no longer release films in Russian cinemas. Russia’s “groundless invasion” and the “tragic humanitarian crisis” justified the move, a spokesman for The Walt Disney Company said.
Among other things, according to the announcement, the Pixar film “Turning Red” (German title: “Rot”) is affected, which is due to be released in March. Future business decisions would depend on the development of the situation, it said. The group will work with aid organizations to help refugees.
The Paramount Studio also announced that it would “pause” film starts, as reported by the industry journal “Variety”. These include the action-comedy The Lost City, starring Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe and Brad Pitt, which is slated to hit theaters in a few weeks, and the comedy Sonic the Hedgehog 2″. “We will continue to monitor the situation,” a spokesman for the studio was quoted as saying.
Sony and Warner Bros. had already announced similar measures – including for the science fiction film “Morbius” and the new “Batman” film with Robert Pattinson. According to US media reports, ticket sales in Russia account for around three percent of the international balance on average.
Cannes Film Festival excludes Russian delegations
Cannes has also reacted: the International Film Festival is initially banning the Russian delegations from participating in May. This applies as long as Russia’s attack is not stopped under conditions that satisfy the Ukrainian people, the festival management said. This also applies to institutions linked to the Russian government.
In the press release, the festival recognizes the courage of all those taking the risk in Russia to protest against the country’s aggression and invasion of Ukraine. The film festival will take place from May 17th to 28th this year. dpa
