Entertainment giants Disney and Sony Pictures suspended theatrical release of their films in Russia after the invasion of Ukraine, emulating other companies that chose to withdraw, temporarily or otherwise, from the country.
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“Given the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the tragic humanitarian crisis, we are suspending theatrical release of films in Russia, including the upcoming Red Alert by Pixar,” Disney said in a statement on Monday.
“We will make future business decisions based on how the situation evolves,” she added.
Meanwhile, Disney says it is working with NGOs to provide emergency aid and other forms of humanitarian assistance to refugees.
Sony Pictures, a subsidiary of the Japanese Sony group, also announced, as part of this process, the suspension of the release of its films in theaters in Russia, including “Morbius”, its new film in the world of superheroes.
Sony Pictures justified its decision in a press release with the “continued military action in Ukraine, the resulting uncertainty and the humanitarian crisis that has erupted in this region.”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected and we hope this crisis will be resolved quickly,” Sony Pictures added.
Other multinational companies have distanced themselves from Russia since its invasion of Ukraine.
Facebook, Twitter and Microsoft took steps on Monday to limit the dissemination of information from Russian government news outlets.
More radically, British oil companies BP and Shell announced that they were giving up their stakes in joint ventures with Russian groups in Russia.
But for some foreign companies, withdrawing from Russia overnight, by closing factories or supermarkets, is still difficult.
