(FreedomBeacon.com)- Russian fans of comic book superhero movies will be sad to hear that Matt Reeves, the director of the upcoming movie “The Batman,” has announced that Warner Bros. has chosen to cancel the official release of the movie in Russia. The move comes in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine last month.
Last Monday, a spokesperson for WarnerMedia said that their company will continue to monitor the situation in Russia and hopes for a peaceful resolution to the crisis. In the meantime, however, the new movie will not be made available in cinemas in Russia.
“In light of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, WarnerMedia is pausing the release of its feature film The Batman in Russia,” the statement reads. “We will continue to monitor the situation as it evolves. We hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to this tragedy.
Warner Bros. has pulled #TheBatman from the Russian release calendar. The decision comes amid Russia's continued invasion of Ukraine: https://t.co/at7oWBqJtt pic.twitter.com/CvzWrSBanS
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) March 1, 2022
The movie was set to be released internationally on March 3, and WarnerBros has yet to confirm whether it plans to pause or block the release of other new movies in Russia in the future.
On the same day, Disney also announced that it will be stopping future releases in Russia. A spokesperson from the company blamed the “unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the tragic humanitarian crisis” for their decision to pause the release of all theatrical films in Russia, including the new “Turning Red” film from Pixar.
“We will make future business decisions based on the evolving situation,” they said.
While these decisions are more likely to impact the Russian people than they are the Russian president behind the invasion, the thinking behind these moves is that Russia will become so cut-off from the rest of the world that it could force Vladimir Putin to reconsider his decision.
But…will it be enough?
