Disney/Pixar’s ‘Lightyear’ Will Not Play In Saudi Arabia, UAE & Other Parts Of Middle East, Nor Malaysia & Indonesia
deadline.comDisney/Pixar’s Lightyear begins offshore rollout this week, but won’t be hitting cinemas in such Middle East markets as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar.
Nor will it go to theaters in Malaysia or Indonesia. Deadline understands the film has not received distribution certificates in these markets.
As with other recent Hollywood films, the issue is believed to be related to LGBTQ content. The Toy Story prequel reinstated a same-sex kiss in March, following an internal backlash to Disney’s handling of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” legislation.
The embrace is between Alisha, a character voiced by Uzo Aduba, and another woman. The characters’ relationship itself was never called into question during the making of the film, a source familiar with the production told Deadline in March, but a kiss between them was originally excised.
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