Sony Pictures and Wayfarer Studios' romantic drama, which opened in theaters in the United States on Friday, has been banned by Qatar's censorship committee because it contains kissing scenes.
- Aug 10, 2024
AceShowbiz - "It Ends With Us", starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, has been blocked from releasing in cinemas in Qatar due to kissing scenes, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The country's censorship committee has banned the PG-13 rated film, which focuses on domestic violence and a woman's struggle to leave a toxic relationship.
The film, based on Colleen Hoover's best-selling novel, also includes non-graphic sex scenes. It opened in theaters in the United States on Friday and is expected to be a box office success, earning $7 million in Thursday previews.
Qatar has a strict censorship policy and has previously banned films such as "Barbie", "Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse", "Eternals" and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" for including LGBTQ references or characters.
Some analysts predict that "It Ends With Us" could earn between $40-50 million in its opening weekend, potentially challenging the box office dominance of Ryan Reynolds' "Deadpool & Wolverine". However, its theatrical release in Qatar has been prohibited due to the country's conservative social norms.
