Some Marvel fans in the Middle East will be missing out on the franchise’s latest blockbuster.
According to Deadline, “Eternals” has been shut out of a theatrical release in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman over censorship issues.
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The report states that Disney had refused to comply with requested edits to the film’s scenes of intimacy, which include LGBTQ+ characters.
Additionally, the report states that a same-sex kiss featured in the film may not have been the only sticking point with censors, who have also historically taken issue with fictional depiction of deities and prophets, which are considered blasphemous.
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Reacting to the ban, star Angelina Jolie told news.com.au, “I’m sad for [those audiences]. And I’m proud of Marvel for refusing to cut those scenes out.
“I still don’t understand how we live in a world today where there’s still [people who] would not see the family Phastos has and the beauty of that relationship and that love. How anybody is angry about it, threatened by it, doesn’t approve or appreciate it is ignorant.”
In the film, Phastos, played by Brian Tyree Henry is shown in a same-sex relationship with the character Ben, played by Haaz Sleiman. Along with sharing a kiss in the film, the characters also have a son together.
A version of the film, with scenes of intimacy removed, will be released in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt.
In 2017, Warner Bros. release of “Wonder Woman” was banned, though in that case it was due to star Gal Gadot’s Israeli background and history as an Israeli soldier.
