Steven Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’ Will Not Play In Saudi Arabia, UAE & Other Parts Of Middle East
Exclusive: Disney/20th Century Studios’ West Side Story is due to begin international box office rollout on Wednesday this week, but it will not be heading to movie theaters in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar or the UAE, Deadline has learned. While an official reason has not been made public, the situation is believed to be related to the character called Anybodys.
The Steven Spielberg-directed adaptation of the classic musical was submitted across the Middle East region, but Saudi Arabia and Kuwait did not approve distribution certificates while censors in the other markets listed above requested that cuts be made. Disney opted not to make the edits requested, Deadline understands.
The situation is somewhat reminiscent of what happened in early November with Disney/Marvel’s Eternals which featured a same-sex kiss. At the time, Saudi Arabia and censors in other markets also sought cuts beyond any scenes of...
The Steven Spielberg-directed adaptation of the classic musical was submitted across the Middle East region, but Saudi Arabia and Kuwait did not approve distribution certificates while censors in the other markets listed above requested that cuts be made. Disney opted not to make the edits requested, Deadline understands.
The situation is somewhat reminiscent of what happened in early November with Disney/Marvel’s Eternals which featured a same-sex kiss. At the time, Saudi Arabia and censors in other markets also sought cuts beyond any scenes of...
- 12/6/2021
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
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