Disney prevailed in both China and Malaysia in showing the film “Beauty and the Beast” without cuts, particularly the gay moment scene of Le Fou. However, the premiere of the movie in Malaysia was delayed by two weeks to March 30 from March 16.
In China, the sheer number of gays and lesbians in the country could have been a factor that the censor took into consideration in approving the movie without cuts. Since “Beauty and the Beast” was a chance for young Chinese girls to relive their fantasies of becoming a princess, its exhibition broke Disney records in China as a predominantly female audience trooped to the cinemas since March 17.
LGBTQ Members Watch Movie
Nikkei reported that 43 percent of all the cinemas in China held 100,000 screenings on opening night, showing that China is indeed the second-largest film market in the world. Because the censor kept intact the gay moment scene of Le Fou, it is not only young females who watched the movie but also members of China’s LGBTQ community.
Given than China has more than 1 billion population, the experts estimate that the country’s LGBTQ members would be between 40 million and 100 million. With most of them single and no family to support, Chinese gays and lesbians likely would have a higher disposable income to support the pink economy, including gay-friendly movies like “Beauty and the Beast.”
PG13 Rating in Malaysia
In contrast, the entire population of Malaysia is only 31.7 million. Nevertheless, even with a smaller market size, Disney stood its ground, got its way and would show the movie by the end of March without cuts. The movie got a PG13 rating, while two major theater chains in Malaysia confirmed it would show the Disney movie starting March 30, BBC reported.
Malaysia’s religious and secular laws ban homosexual activity in the country. Former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was given a five-year jail sentence after he was convicted of sodomy. In movies, gay characters are allowed in Malaysia only if they are portrayed negatively or repent. Le Fou, however, appears to be an exception to the rule.