Russia's invasion of Ukraine has resulted in multiple media conglomerates severing ties with the country, but pulling a movie from theaters this late in the game would be challenging, and Warner Bros. is still planning to release The Batman in "The Motherland" on March 3.
According to THR, the major Hollywood studios have yet to comment on the situation, but Matt Reeves' film will definitely debut in Russia as part of its international rollout. Sources believe it would be very difficult to "pull a film from Russia at the 11th hour," but what happens moving forward remains to be seen.
It's worth noting that cinemas in Russia are privately owned, and not under the control of Vladimir Putin’s government. Even so, the continued promotion of major blockbusters in the region is likely to be met with strong backlash. “If the U.S. and its allies want to cut off Russia from the rest of the world, then how would we go ahead and release our movies there?” said one studio exec. “How can anyone advertise their movies on state-owned media right now in Russia?”
The Ukrainian Film Academy called for an international boycott of Russian cinema and the Russian film industry over the weekend.
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Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.