Disney's Malaysian Malaise: Why Can't You See 'Thor: Love And Thunder' In Kuala Lumpur?

The Walt Disney Co. DIS has yet another controversy over one of its films, this time involving the new Marvel Cinematic Universe movie “Thor: Love and Thunder” and its theatrical release in Malaysia.

What Happened: According to Variety, the latest "Thor" sequel was supposed to open on July 7, but was moved to July 19 and then to July 21. However, Malaysia’s two leading film exhibitors, GSC and TGV Cinemas, issued identical messages on their respective social media pages announcing the film has been indefinitely delayed and refunds will be given to those who pre-purchased tickets.

"Disney has updated us that the release of #ThorLoveandThunder in Malaysia is now ‘TBA’ – release date is now undated,” the companies said in their statement. “We apologise for any inconvenience caused and appreciate your patience in this matter as we await more updates from Disney.”

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Why It Happened: Malaysia is a Muslim-majority nation that enforces the conservative values of its predominant faith. It was one of the mostly Muslim-majority nations that refused to screen Disney’s recent Pixar release, “Lightyear,” when the studio refused to omit a brief scene involving a same-sex kiss.

While there has been no official statement from the Malaysian government or Disney regarding “Thor: Love and Thunder,” some local observers have opined that the new film’s brief nudity involving title star Chris Hemsworth and the implied LGBTQ orientation of some supporting characters might have worked against the film’s ability to gain access to Malaysian cinemas.

However, Variety noted that another theory is being floated with Disney fearing its film would be steamrolled by a locally produced feature that broke box office records. “Mat Kilau: Kebangkitan Pahlawan” has become the highest-grossing Malaysian film with more than $12 million from the domestic box office and from the neighboring Singapore and Brunei markets.

To date, the only other country to ban “Thor: Love and Thunder” is China, which makes it the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe title to be excluded from Chinese distribution.

Photo: Chris Hemsworth in "Thor: Love and Thunder," courtesy of Disney

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