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.
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.
Immediately after Disney’s announcement, Warner Bros. announced that it is canceling in Russia the premiere of “The Batman”, planned for this Friday.
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 Union. European (EU).
Also Twitter, another American social network, announced on Monday that it will add a warning to messages that share links and news from media controlled by the Kremlin, of which it will also try to reduce its circulation on the platform.
“Our product should make it easier to understand who is behind the content you see and what their motivations and intentions are,” added Yoel Roth, chief integrity officer for that platform.