Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine has sparked debate around the globe with many calling for peace amidst all that’s going on in the world right now. Just as most countries are still barely recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, war is the last thing on everyone’s minds. Unfortunately, with Russia fully intent on pursuing its initial goal, it appears that some companies are taking matters into their own hands. Warner Bros.’s decision alone isn’t likely to turn the tides of the war or make Russia reconsider, but it can help sway public opinion and add to the mounting pressure for Russia to end its campaign. Having said that, Warner Bros. stands to lose a lot by skipping Russia. After receiving the AMC Artisan Film seal in February, the embargo on The Batman was officially lifted earlier this week and critics couldn’t help but praise the Robert Pattinson-led movie. Although the film doesn’t quite measure up to Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight from 2008, many are labeling it as the best DC Comics movie since then, which is no small feat considering the likes of 2019’s Joker have premiered during this time. Speaking of, Joker made a little over $1 billion at the global box office against an estimated $70 billion budget, all but confirming a sequel. Even if we consider the global pandemic, The Batman should at least come close to pulling in what the movies that premiered within the past two years and that are not 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home did, such as No Time to Die at $774 million. However, without Russia, The Batman will be hard-pressed to achieve such numbers. Before Warner Bros.’s announcement, The Batman was expected to have a local box office haul of anywhere between $80 to $120 million and an international take of close to $200 million. But, if you take Russia out of the mix, $150 million if not less is a more realistic number. In comparison, another blockbuster film like No Way Home made $45 million in Russia alone. In addition to Warner Bros., other studios such as Disney and Sony also expressed their intention to do the same going forward. The latter, specifically, alluded to Morbius, which just got its final trailer, not being available in Russia once it makes its long-overdue premiere on April 1. Skipping Russia will have both short-term and long-term effects on any studio, regardless of how big they are. Warner Bros. won’t feel the brunt of pausing the theatrical release of The Batman in Russia and its other upcoming films until much later. We will try to monitor the situation more closely to see how much of an effect not releasing in Russia will have for Warner Bros. slate of films later this year and for films, in general.
