IT was only about a month ago that Disney's animated film Lightyear saw its release in Malaysian cinemas cancelled, likely due to a scene where two women briefly kiss. Now it appears that Thor: Love and Thunder, the fourth solo adventure following Chris Hemsworth as the superheroic Norse god and the latest entry in the mega successful Marvel Cinematic Universe, will likely suffer a similar fate.
Originally set for a July 7 release – there were even press screenings – the movie's release date was at first pushed to July 21, but earlier today the social media for GSC and TGV both posted on their feeds that the comedic space adventure was now being postponed indefinitely.
Breaking News: @DisneyStudiosMY has confirmed that the release of #ThorLoveandThunder in Malaysia is now postponed indefinitely. We have to wait a little longer until we have the new release date from our beloved #Disney.
— TGV Cinemas | #TontondiTGV ?? (@TGVCinemas) July 13, 2022
We appreciate your kind understanding & patience.? pic.twitter.com/bgBDJlwGjm
THOR UPDATE:
— GSC x Mat Kilau ?? (@GSCinemas) July 13, 2022
Disney has updated us that the release of #ThorLoveandThunder in Malaysia is now "TBA" - release date is now undated. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and appreciate your patience in this matter as we await more updates from Disney.
Overseas, Thor: Love and Thunder dominated, making US$143 million (RM633 million) in the United States alone.
If the experience of Lightyear is any indication, Film Censorship Board (FCB) likely watched the movie and requested certain changes to be made regarding certain content in the movie. Disney likely refused to make the changes and the movie never made its way to our shores.
“FCB ordered that the scenes and dialogues found to contain elements promoting the LGBT lifestyle, which violated key aspects of the Guidelines on Film Censorship 2010, be cut and muted,” they said at the time.
Having been one of the (lucky?) few to have seen it at a screening, in addition to a fully butt naked Thor, there were a couple allusions to homosexual relationships featuring both King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) and Korg (Taika Waititi, who is also the movie's director). The latter of whom is a giant rock alien.
Disney as a whole has been very vocal about making their movies more and more LGBT friendly. The fact that their movies are still incredibly successful without coming out in China, means they will likely ignore the complaints of smaller markets. So the possibility of future movies from the House of Mouse having their releases in Malaysia cancelled is likely.
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— GSC x Mat Kilau ?? (@GSCinemas) July 13, 2022
However, censorship bodies like the FCB have no power over streaming services like Disney+ Hotstar, so the movies could make their way there after skipping cinemas. Most recently, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – which also featured a brief allusion to a relationship between two women – premiered on the service just 45 days after showing up on the big screen.
Ultimately, Malaysian Marvel fans will have to wait a while longer to see Thor. – The Vibes, July 13, 2022
