The Ukraine invasion is costing Russia on the home front as well as in combat.
While Russian banking, sports, and news media have already been hit by sanctions, refusals on participation, and cyber warfare that’s taken down numerous sites, the entertainment business there is also starting to feel the effects.
The Russians have already been banned from the Eurovision competition. Today, Green Day canceled a planned Moscow stadium show set for May 29 in Spartak Stadium. They join pop act AJR, which has cut its planned October show in Mosow.
Many Western artists have shows slated for Russia this year. They include Tricky, Bring Me the Horizon, Khalid, OneRepublic, Yungblud, Judas Priest, and OneRepublic, among others.
Leonid & Friends, a Russian band specializing in horn-driven covers of the group Chicago and others, has toured the US in clubs and theaters several times. It posted on Facebook its disappointment Friday on the Ukraine situation.
The conflict in Europe is also expected to impact film and television production in Eastern Europe and Russia in the coming months. Ukraine’s burgeoning film production business has obviously been derailed by the Russian invasion.
The fate of existing content is less certain and so far, appears to be largely unaffected by the Ukraine invasion.
Russia is the fourth-largest film market in the world, with an estimated 90 million tickets sold in 2020, according to Statista.com. Russia also distributed 66 films for distribution to foreign audiences in 2020, down from the 2019 total of 94 because of the pandemic.
So far, there has been no movement to ban imports of US films to Russia. This week, that nation’s moviegoers can watch the local premieres of the MGM/United Artist film Dog and the Liam Neeson thriller Blacklight.
Warner Bros. The Batman is still set for a March 2 premiere, two days before it opens in the US. Disney/Pixar’s Turning Red is also playing in Russian theaters.
Parmount is also is bringing its 50th anniversary re-release of The Godfather to Russia.
Last year, eight of the top 10 grossing films were from Hollywood, with Sony Pictures’“Venom: Let There Be Carnage the top title.
Many US television shows, including Game of Thrones and Once Upon a Time, have been on Russian television. Some streaming services are available in Russia. Netflix is popular, but its entire catalog is not available. Hulu and Disney+ can’t be accessed except with a VPN.
