Marvel fans’ prayers that Thor: Love and Thunder would eventually be released in Malaysia have apparently gone unanswered. Golden Screen Cinemas just announced that the film’s previously indefinite postponement is now definite.
“Dear Valued Customers, please be informed that Disney has updated that Marvel Studios’ Thor: Love and Thunder will not be releasing in Malaysia after all. We appreciate your patience and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
“Please buy our merchandise ok,” GSC said on a poster released on social media today.
Thor: Love and Takde. Officially. ⚡️💔 pic.twitter.com/4iMZbOcs7j
— GSC (@GSCinemas) July 28, 2022
The tweet has garnered 5,155 retweets and 5,683 likes since it was posted at 11:24 am.
However, there is still no word from the Malaysian censorship board as to why exactly the film would not be shown in local theaters.
The Disney announcement comes after GSC’s subtle jap at the censorship board on Tuesday, in which it said it was not sure if Marvel’s Multiverse Saga would ever be released in Malaysia, although we cannot say for sure whether that shade was a contributing factor to this latest decision.
Meanwhile, Malaysians expressed their disappointment over the decision on social media.
Some lamented it while others questioned and speculated as to the reason behind the decision. They also wondered whether other future Marvel movies may not make it into the country.
Some have theorized that it might have something to do with the film’s portrayal of various godly deities, which might have been deemed offensive to the country’s conservative religious sensibilities.
The 1998 animated films Prince of Egypt and 1979’s Monty Python’s Life of Brian were banned in Malaysia due to their religious themes.
More recently, the Disney animated film Lightyear was banned in Malaysia, and several other countries, due to it having a brief depiction of an LGBT relationship.
