Ballerina Sets Russia Release as Studios Call Cold War Thaw Inevitable

Who will blink first? That is the question when it comes to which studio will resume distributing films in Russia after a three-year moratorium sparked by the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

The answer appears to be Lionsgate, which is planning to release the Ana de Armas-led “John Wick” spinoff “Ballerina” on June 5 through Russian distributor Atmosfera Kino. A Lionsgate spokesperson declined comment, though a person familiar with the matter told Variety that the studio is willing to “move forward in Russia on a case-by-case basis,” a policy shift attributed to the “passage of time” and that “sentiment has changed.”

The move comes with hopes that the major studios will follow Lionsgate amid declining international box office revenues and anticipation that a Russia-Ukraine détente will be reached given that U.S. President Donald Trump has prioritized the matter in the early days of his second term. Neither Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” nor Paramount’s “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,” which is aiming for a massive international turnout following its Cannes debut on Wednesday, are expected to be released in Russia; however, Universal is not planning on releasing “Jurassic World Rebirth” in the country.

“It seems like things are opening,” says one prolific producer in Cannes. “I ran into a lot of Russian buyers on the street yesterday. So they’re here and ready to do business.”

Following talks between U.S. and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia earlier this year, Trump announced he was “trying to do some economic development deals” with Moscow, while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio touted the “extraordinary opportunities” awaiting American businesses in Russia once a peace deal with Ukraine is signed. 

For Hollywood, such public posturing has opened the door to return to what was the world’s sixth-largest theatrical market before the war…