The disruption to the international theater system will continue as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine drags on and more than half of China’s cinemas are closed as a result of the latest Covid outbreak.
Andrew Cripps, president of international theatrical distribution for Warner Bros Pictures, said that Russia, which is currently being boycotted by movie studios, averages about 5% of its annual international box office, indexing higher or lower depending on the year and release schedule. However, on what conditions the company can return to the country, he did not indicate.
“Over the past couple of years, we have all learned to live with uncertainty. Including the closure of cinemas around the world. But this happened for a different reason, and we must hope that there is some way to solve [ситуации]”, — said he during an appearance at CinemaCon.
Warner Bros withdrew Batman from theaters in Russia in early March. Cripps said piracy of this and other films is a problem in both Russia and China, where Shanghai is on lockdown, Beijing is on alert and 57% of theaters are closed.
“I don’t know if it will be a ceasefire and a withdrawal of troops. All I know is that there are no Hollywood releases coming into the country at all. I hope we can get to the point where the product can be sent back to the country,” added Cripps.
Korea, which was one of the most dynamic international markets two years ago, is also seeing a significant decline, he said. “People stopped going to the movies,” he said. Japan has had some success in the local market, as has Australia and the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE, “but we would like things to go better overall.”
Global film distribution, including North America, was almost $6.7 billion this year as of Sunday, compared to $4.3 billion in the same period in 2021. International distribution accounts for $5 billion, up 26%. This is a significant increase, but the industry is still waiting to return to pre-Covid levels.
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