Disney has decided to skip 20 international markets with the theatrical release of Strange World, choosing not to submit the film in countries where LGBTQIA+ content has been and is likely to be banned or demands for edits are likely to be made.
Territories that won’t get a theatrical release of the film include all the Middle East, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam, East Africa (Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya), West Africa (Nigeria, Ghana), Maldives, Nepal, and Bangladesh. The film was not submitted for theatrical release in Russia either, although according to reports, that was due to ongoing geopolitical circumstances.
Disney has recently become quite familiar with censorship when releasing films abroad. Just this summer, there was tremendous controversy surrounding the release of Lightyear for a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it same-sex kiss, and in the end more than a dozen countries banned the film.
