Thor: Love and Thunder Being Banned For A Ridiculous Reason
Thor: Love and Thunder was just banned in certain theaters and it looks like the reasons is a pretty ridiculous one.
When Thor: Love and Thunder hit the big screen, there were plenty of folks waiting for it, wanting to see how our favorite Asgardian (of the Galaxy!) was handling life post-Avengers: Endgame and whether he was able to find the meaning in his life that he struggled mightily with in the short-term. Plus, it was a chance to reunite with a long-lost love, now in a new suit with new powers, and catch up with some fan favorites from the Thor franchise. All good, right? Well, not to everyone. It appears that Thor: Love and Thunder is being banned in Malaysia with the government not allowing it past its content screeners for citizens to check out in the theaters. It’s a real shame, though not all that surprising considering some of the other decisions they’ve made regarding other movies recently.
According to Variety, the largest Malaysian movie chain, GSC made an announcement that they would not be screening Thor: Love and Thunder for audiences there. The company tried to have a little fun with the bad news, something they’ve done a few times now. But in the end, the decision was made by those above them in the Malaysian censorship authority and there’s nothing else to be done. Though the group didn’t give specifics around why the movie was banned from theaters in that country there’s speculation it’s in and around a couple of different things. For starters, there are numerous mentions and appearances by other gods who aren’t exactly perfect in the flick, something that could be a no-no there. Additionally, there are references to same-sex marriages which could be even more of a reason they would take this stance.
And this isn’t new ground for Malaysia when it comes to banning movies seeing as how Thor: Love and Thunder isn’t even the first one to get the ban hammer this year. That “award” goes to Lightyear which didn’t get a chance to play either. For that movie, the cited reason was the inclusion of a same-sex kiss between two characters. The country’s censorship authority had requested changes be made to the film to take that out, but it was a no-go from the studio. On that point, they stood their ground with what they had put into the film. It’s been something of a push and pull with Hollywood and more stringent global markets at times.
Even with the banning in Malaysia, Thor: Love and Thunder has still turned a tidy profit at the box office worldwide. It’s already banked close to $700 million worldwide, a nice number even on the reported $250 million budget. The story sees a reunion between Chris Hemsworth’s Thor and Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster who’s now taken on the mantle of Mighty Thor. Critics were a bit *meh* on the whole thing, scoring it a 66% on Rotten Tomatoes, but for the most part, the movie did was fans expected. It took a frenetic tour through Thor’s world and landed him a better god because of it. Too bad not everyone will be able to see it.
