Los Angeles - Walt Disney indefinitely pulled “Beauty and
the Beast” from theatres in Malaysia rather than remove scenes involving a
gay character to placate local authorities.
“The film has not been and will not be cut for Malaysia,”
Disney said in an emailed statement.
Golden Screen Cinemas, Malaysia’s largest theatre chain,
said Monday it postponed showings of “Beauty and the Beast” at the studio’s
request. Golden Screen will offer refunds to patrons who purchased advance
tickets to screenings and a related event, the company said on its website.
Malaysia’s Film Censorship Board approved “Beauty and the
Beast” for a P13 rating after requesting cuts of about 4 1/2 minutes from a
subplot with a “gay moment,” Abdul Halim Abdul Hamid, the film board chairman,
said in a text message. Theatres can screen the film at any time after the
deletions, he said. A P13 rating requires those below 13 years of age to be
accompanied by a guardian.
The film, which opens March 17, could take in as much as
$120 million its first weekend in U.S. and Canadian theatres, Disney said in a
separate statement. The movie cost about $160 million to make.
Read also: Disney dumps YouTube star PewDiePie
“Beauty and the Beast,” a remake of the 1991 animated
musical, includes what director Bill Condon called an “exclusively gay moment”
in an interview earlier this month with Attitude Magazine. The character LeFou,
the sidekick to the bad guy Gaston, makes references to his affection for
Gaston in the film and later dances with a man at a ball.
Malaysia has laws against homosexuality. The country
isn’t among the 20 largest film markets in the world, according to the Motion
Picture Association of America.
Russia earlier this month approved the release of “Beauty
and the Beast” with a suggested audience of those 16 years and older. Children
younger than that can attend with an adult.
Variety earlier reported on the Malaysian decision.