Disney's Woes Continue, Country Confirms 'Thor: Love and Thunder' Will Be Pulled - Inside the Magic

It’s over for Thor, at least in Malaysia.

Malaysia’s largest cinema chain confirmed the news, leaving the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe movie completely shut out of an entire country.

While harboring one of the lowest scores in MCU history, Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) from director Taika Waititi, is still a sought-after movie, not least for its impressive cast and the return of the Thor: Ragnarok (2017) helmer.

Hot off the tails of feature films like Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), the fourth Thor outing sees the return of Chris Hemsworth in the eponymous role as the Asgardian God of Thunder. This is the first time fans have seen live-action Thor Odinson since the battle against Thanos (Josh Brolin) in Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).

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Joining Hemsworth in the movie are Natalie Portman (Dr. Jane Foster/Mighty Thor), Tessa Thompson (King Valkyrie), Taika Waititi (Korg), Jaimie Alexander (Lady Sif), and the Guardians of the Galaxy crew: Chris Pratt (Peter Quill/Star-Lord), Dave Bautista (Drax), Karen Gillan (Nebula), Bradley Cooper (Rocket Raccoon), Vin Diesel (Groot), Pom Klementieff (Mantis), and Sean Gunn (Kraglin Obfonteri). Christian Bale and Russell Crowe also joined the MCU as antagonists Gorr the God Butcher and Zeus, respectively. Brett Goldstein shocked audiences when he made his debut as Hercules during the post-credits sequence.

While many have seen the film, and many are seemingly waiting for its debut on Disney+ if the film’s second-weekend box office drop is anything to go by, millions of people will not after Thor: Love and Thunder has been shut out of multiple territories for its LGBTQ+ characters, namely Thompson’s King of New Asgard, Valkyrie, and themes throughout. China blocked the movie, as has Kuwait more recently, and after Disney halted the Malaysia release indefinitely, it has been confirmed Thor: Love and Thunder will not release in the country.

GS Cinemas (@GSCinemas) posted to Twitter:

Thor: Love and Takde. Officially.

Thor: Love and Takde. Officially. ⚡️💔 pic.twitter.com/4iMZbOcs7j

— GSC (@GSCinemas) July 28, 2022

Unfortunately, this is not the first time even this year that Malaysian authority LPF has asked The Walt Disney Company to remove elements of its movies. As Variety reports:

The postponement move is the second lost release of a Disney-handled movie in Malaysia in the space of two months. In June, the release of Pixar animation “Lightyear” was canceled in Malaysia after the country’s censorship authority (LPF) asked for cuts to the film, understood to include a same-sex kiss, in order for the film to obtain release certification. Disney declined to make the cuts and is expected to put “Lightyear” out directly on streaming service Disney+ Hotstar. Malaysia was one of nearly twenty, mostly Muslim-majority countries which objected to the homosexual tinges of “Lightyear.”

As censorship continues across the globe, and The Walt Disney Company’s rightful stance on protecting and highlighting diverse stories increases, how will the worldwide box office look for movies to come?

Kevin Feige’s comic book movie also stars Luke Hemsworth, Matt Damon, Sam Neill, and Melissa McCarthy as actor Thor, actor Loki, actor Odin, and actor Hela, respectively.

What did you think about Thor: Love and Thunder? Let us know in the comments down below!