New Report Claims Disney Refuses To Edit 12 Second Gay Scene From Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness For Saudi Arabian Audiences
John F. Trent
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A new report claims that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has not actually banned Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness from their country and they are trying to work with Disney to remove a 12-second gay scene from the film in order for the film to be released in the country.
Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Stephen Strange and Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez in Marvel Studios’ DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS. Photo by Jay Maidment. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.
A previous report from Variety’s Nick Vivarelli claimed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was refusing to provide a permit to release the film with speculation indicating it had something to do with Xochitl Gomez’s America Chavez character.
However, Saudi Arabia’s general supervisor of cinema classification Nawaf Alsabhan recently spoke to Agence France-Presse via The Guardian and claims that the country is not banning the film, but is requesting Disney to edit 12 seconds of the film that includes a gay scene involving America Chavez’s two mothers.
Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez, Benedict Wong as Wong, and Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange/Stephen Strange in Marvel Studios’ DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS. Photo by Jay Maidment. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.
Alsabhan explained the 12-second scene is “just [America Chavez] talking about her moms, because she has two moms.”
He added, “And being in the Middle East, it’s very tough to pass something like this.”
Source: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Alsabahn went on to reveal that the country is attempting to get the film approved, but it is Disney that won’t budge on editing the scene, “We sent it to the distributor, and the distributor sent it to Disney, and Disney has told us they are not willing.”
He then made it clear the film has not been banned and won’t ever be banned, “It will never be banned. 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.”
Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez in Marvel Studios’ DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS. Photo by Jay Maidment. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.
Disney previously refused to make changes to Eternals and the film did not screen in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman due to the countries not issuing distribution certificates.
Deadline claimed the film was blocked in Kuwait and Qatar not only due to inclusion of a homosexual kiss, but the because the film also featured “gods and prophets, something they consider blasphemous.”
Interestingly, Deadline also claimed that the film did release in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt after Disney and Marvel Studios released a version that removed “all scenes of intimacy — be they heterosexual or homosexual.”
Rachel McAdams as Dr. Christine Palmer in Marvel Studios’ DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.
It will be interesting to see if Disney retains the dialogue or if it will eventually be removed. WarnerMedia recently removed two lines of dialogue referencing homosexuality for the Chinese market.
News.com.au reported that Jude Law’s Dumbledore’s lines, “Because I was in love with you” and “The summer Gellert and I fell in love” were removed the film.
Jessica Williams, Callum Turner, Victoria Yeates, Dan Fogler, Jude Law, and Eddie Redmayne in FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE.
WarnerMedia defended the changes telling Variety, “As a studio, we’re committed to safeguarding the integrity of every film we release and that extends to circumstances that necessitate making nuanced cuts in order to respond sensitively to a variety of in-market factors.”
It continued, “In the case of ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,’ a six-second cut was requested and Warner Bros. accepted those changes to comply with local requirements but the spirit of the film remains intact.”
“We want audiences everywhere in the world to see and enjoy this film, and it’s important to us that Chinese audiences have the opportunity to experience it as well, even with these minor edits,” their statement concluded.
Mads Mikkelsen as Gellert Grindlewald in Warner Bros. Pictures’ FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE.
Disney employees have made it abundantly clear that including these scenes no matter how small or short is part of their “not-so-secret gay agenda.”
Disney executive producer Latoya Raveneau revealed, “In my little pocket of Proud Family Disney TVA, the showrunners were super welcoming . Meredith Roberts and our leadership over there has been so welcoming to my not-at-all-secret gay agenda.”
She further elaborated, “Maybe it was that way in the past, but I guess something must have happened in the last, they are turning it around, they’re going hard, and then like all that momentum that I felt, that sense of ‘I don’t have to be afraid to have these two characters kiss in the background.’ I was just, wherever I could, just basically adding queerness. If you see anything queer in the show — no one would stop me, and no one was trying to stop me.”
SCOOP: I’ve obtained video from inside Disney’s all-hands meeting about the Florida parental rights bill, in which executive producer Latoya Raveneau says her team has implemented a “not-at-all-secret gay agenda” and is regularly “adding queerness” to children’s programming. pic.twitter.com/eJnZMpKIXT
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) March 29, 2022
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur production coordinator Allen March also noted they were directly trying to target kids and influence them through their various pieces of programming and content.
He stated, “All this content is going to kids who don’t know any of this. And even if they are in a household like Heath that has supportive parents they’re still getting all of this information from media of what is normal There’s a lot of power to that and it just needs to be acknowledged.”
NEW: Disney production coordinator Allen March, who says his team is committed to “exploring queer stories” and promoting “trans,” “bisexual,” and “gender nonconforming” characters, says kids are “getting all this information from the media” and “there’s a lot of power to that.” pic.twitter.com/rgxXgcIEwA
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) March 31, 2022
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is expected to release on May 6th in the United States.
Box Office Pro currently predicts the film will earn between $190 million and $210 million in its opening weekend at the domestic box office. The box office tracking website also predicts the film will earn between $450 million and $560 million total at the domestic box office.
In contrast, Spider-Man: No Way Home earned $260 million in its opening weekend and has currently earned $804.3 million at the domestic box office. The film has grossed $1.8 billion worldwide.
(L-R): Rachel McAdams as Dr. Christine Palmer, Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Stephen Strange, and Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez in Marvel Studios’ DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.
What do you make of this new report that notes that Disney is refusing to edit the film in order for it to be released in Saudi Arabia?
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