Warner Bros, Disney and Sony to pull major films from Russia 

Warner Brothers, The Walt Disney Company and Sony Pictures will not release their latest films in Russian cinemas, in response to the conflict in Ukraine.

The major Hollywood studios announced their decisions on Monday as Russian military forces continued attacks on Ukrainian cities.

The decisions mean that superhero blockbuster; The Batman starring Robert Pattison, computer-animated fantasy comedy Turning Red and Sony’s Marvel Comics antihero Morbius will no longer be available for Russian audiences.

Russia is a significant market for America – accounting for about 3 percent of worldwide ticket sales or around £16 billion.

This move follows the cancellation of Russian arts around the world and Russia has also been stripped of the Champions league final.

Violence continues to rage across the nation and thousands of Ukrainian citizens have been forced to flee their homes across the country’s borders.

Warner Bros said it was pausing the release of blockbuster The Batman “in light of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine”.

It added: “We will continue to monitor the situation as it evolves. We hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to this tragedy.”

As well as pausing the release of its films, Disney said it would work with its NGO partners to provide “urgent aide and other humanitarian assistance” to refugees.

“Given the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the tragic humanitarian crisis, we are pausing the theatrical release of films in Russia, including the upcoming Turning Red from Pixar,” a statement posted online by the company said.

“We will make future business decisions based on the evolving situation.

Sony Pictures 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, including the upcoming release of Morbius.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who have been impacted and hope this crisis will be resolved quickly.”

Sky News/Joy Onu