It was recently reported that Marvel Studios' Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness had been banned in Saudi Arabia, and we now have a few more details on the situation.
According to The Guardian, the sequel hasn't actually been banned outright (at least, not yet), but the Kingdom is still trying to get Disney to agree to cut a scene that "amounts to barely 12 seconds." As many assumed, the sequence does involve America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), with the character making a reference to her “two moms” at one point.
“It’s just her talking about her moms, because she has two moms,” said Saudi Arabia’s general supervisor of cinema classification Nawaf Alsabhan. “And being in the Middle East, it’s very tough to pass something like this. We sent it to the distributor, and the distributor sent it to Disney, and Disney has told us they are not willing.”
“It will never be banned,” he added. “There’s no reason to ban the film. It’s a simple edit. So far they have refused. But we haven’t closed the door. We’re still trying.”
A similar situation arose last year when Disney was asked to remove a scene from Eternals which saw Phastos share a kiss with his husband. The House of Mouse refused to budge then, so we can't see them acquiescing here. If the cuts aren't made, Doctor Strange 2 will most likely be "withdrawn" from theaters in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar.
We'll be sure to keep you updated. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is set to hit theaters on May 5.
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.