Disney announces boycott of Russian film market

Walt Disney Pictures on Monday became the first Hollywood company to boycott the Russian film market. In a bold decision, given the sums involved, the studio announced that it was withdrawing all of its films from showing in Russia and halting premieres of other films, in response to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Disney’s next release in Russia will be the Pixar animated film “Red: Growing Up a Beast”, which will arrive in the country on March 10.

Last year, in the midst of the pandemic, Disney films grossed more than $445 million at the Russian box office.

“Due to the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the tragic humanitarian crisis, we are halting movie theater productions in Russia,” Disney said in a statement. “We will make future action decisions based on the evolving situation. In the meantime, given the scale of the emerging crisis, we are working with our NGO partners to provide urgent relief and other humanitarian assistance to the refugees,” the memo added.

The announcement rocked other studios, who have not yet commented on the conflict. For example, Warner Bros. , for example, shortly after suspending the premiere of the movie “Batman”, which was scheduled to take place on Thursday (3/3) in Russia.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has drawn global condemnation from the United States and the European Union, as Brazil seeks to maintain a “neutral” position, with Bolsonaro praising Putin, who has criticized Ukraine in controversial comments.

Europe and the United States are at the forefront of the international boycott of the Russian economy. In addition, the Ukrainian Film Academy appealed not to forget to boycott culture and especially Russian cinema.