Warner Bros. Int. Chief On Russia, China Markets: “We’ve All Learned To Live With Uncertainty” – CinemaCon
26.04.2022 - 00:11
/ deadline.com
Disruption will continue to weigh on the international theatrical system as the Russia-Ukraine war drags on and well over half of China’s theaters are shuttered in the latest Covid crackdown.
Andrew Cripps, president, international theatrical distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures, said Russia — which is currently being boycotted by studios– makes up about 5% of global annual box office on average, indexing higher or lower depending on the year. The Russia-Ukraine war “is a tragedy that’s happening. Over the last couple of years, we’ve all learned to live with uncertainty. Including theaters being shut around the world. This is for a different reason, and we have to hope there is some semblance of a solution,” he said.
“I don’t know – is it ceasefire, and a pull out? I just don’t know at this point. Only that there are no Hollywood releases at all going into the country. I just hope you can get to a position and time where you can bring product back into the country,” Cripps said during a panel conversation with Mary Parent, chair of worldwide production at Legendary Entertainment, and filmmaker Denis Villenueve, who joined via video from Budapest where he is prepping Dune: Part II.
Warner. Bros pulled The Batman from Russia in early March at the eleventh hour following the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Cripps said piracy of that film and others is a problem in both Russia and China — where Shanghai is locked down, Beijing on alert, and 57% of theaters closed.
He said Korea, one of the most vibrant international markets two years go, has seen a big slowdown. “People stopped going to the movies there.” Japan has been solid with some local success, likewise Australia and the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia and UAE. “But we