Malaysians expressed disappointment on Tuesday (March 14) after major cinema chains in Muslim-majority Malaysia postponed the release of Walt Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast”, cleared by censors after a “gay moment” was cut, due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
The Walt Disney Co. film has courted controversy after the director, Bill Condon, first announced that it would feature a gay character – LeFou, the goofy sidekick to main villain Gaston – for the first time in Disney’s history.
The gay character has sparked calls among some conservative groups for the film to be boycotted.
Billboards and posters advertising the film, with a March 16 release date, had been displayed on buildings and along major roads all around Kuala Lumpur. But Malaysia’s largest cinema chains announced that the screenings had been held up.
Malaysian Censorship Board gave the movie a P13 classification, meaning parental guidance is advisable for children under 13 years, after a “gay moment” was cut.
The postponement has sparked an outcry among some Malaysian film fans.
“Just to be open-minded that’s all, because it’s just a story, just a movie, nothing else matters,” said Jasrena Jasmih, an executive who works in Kuala Lumpur.
“It shouldn’t be banned, it shouldn’t be an issue.. I think people also overreact a little bit, and it’s just funny in the way that the whole thing goes viral and the way people react,” added a local cafe owner, Treve Ng, who set up a sign outside his shop saying “Now Showing: Beauty and the Banned”.
Starring Emma Watson as young Belle who falls in love with the Beast, the film is one of the most talked about Hollywood movies of the spring. According to some box office analysts, it could bring in upwards of $100 million in North America on its opening weekend.
Malaysia has previously blocked the release of Hollywood movies deemed religiously insensitive, such as 1998’s “The Prince of Egypt”, which depicted the Biblical story of Moses, and 1995’s “Babe”, which featured a pig as the main character. Muslims consider pigs unclean.
The live-action remake of Disney’s animated classic film, begins its worldwide rollout on Thursday (March 16).
