Walt Disney Co has been unable to obtain permission to show its new Pixar film Lightyear in 14 Middle Eastern and Asian countries, a source said on Monday and the animated film appeared unlikely to open in China, the world's largest movie market.
A Lightyear producer told Reuters that authorities in China had asked for cuts to the film, which Disney declined to make, and she assumed the movie would not open there either. The animated film depicts a same-sex couple who share a brief kiss, which prompted the United Arab Emirates to ban the film. The film would not be licensed for screening in the country as it violated the nation's media content standard, the Ministry of Youth and Culture's media regulatory office wrote on Twitter.
Media Regulatory Office Executive Director Rashid Khalfan Al Nuaimi later told Reuters the film was banned because of the inclusion of "homosexual" characters in several scenes. Like many other Middle East and Muslim nations, same-sex relationships are criminalised in the UAE, a Gulf country of about 10 million people where most of the population are foreigners.
Some social media users said depicting same-sex relationships was against the religion and culture of the UAE while others said children should not be exposed to such imagery. Ahead of Monday's decision, an Arabic hashtag calling for the film not to be shown in the UAE was trending on Twitter.
Representatives of other countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia and Lebanon, did not immediately respond to Reuter’s requests for a comment on why they would not allow the film to be exhibited. Disney has not received an answer from Chinese authorities on whether they would allow the film in cinemas, Lightyear producer Galyn Susman said. She added that filmmakers would not make changes to the film. And China has rejected other on-screen depictions of homosexuality in the past.
"We're not going to cut out anything, especially something as important as the loving and inspirational relationship that shows Buzz what he's missing by the choices that he's making, so that's not getting cut," Susman told Reuters at the film’s red-carpet premiere in London. Lightyear is a prequel to Pixar's acclaimed Toy Story. It is centred around the Buzz Lightyear action figure character from the popular franchise. Chris Evans voices the lead character, a legendary space ranger.
China is not a "make or break" market for Pixar, one theatre industry source said. It contributed a mere 3% to the global box office for Toy Story 4, which grossed more than $1 billion in worldwide ticket sales in 2019, according to Comscore.
Any objections to Lightyear over LGBTQ issues were "frustrating," Evans said. "It's great that we are a part of something that's making steps forward in the social inclusion capacity, but it's frustrating that there are still places that aren't where they should be," Evans added.
Lightyear is set to debut in theatres in the United States and Canada on Friday. In May, Disney refused requests to cut same-sex references in Marvel film Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. Thus, Saudi Arabia and a handful of other Middle Eastern countries did not show the film.
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