Even though many people are celebrating the release of the long-awaited Marvel film Blank Panther: Wakanda Forever, some people (or governments) are very upset about the minuscule moment that probably went unnoticed by most.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is playing in theaters in Kuwait, though there will be approximately one less minute of content compared to everywhere else. The country has cut a scene where Michaela Coel’s character Aneka and Florence Kasumba’s Ayo share a small forehead kiss (yeah, you probably missed it among all of the war and gut-wrenching familial moments). Officials also requested that a birthing scene be edited out to remove the line “A god to his people.”
It’s pretty common for Disney-adjacent movies to be combed through and edited for various reasons for international releases. Just earlier this year, Thor: Love And Thunder and Lightyear received edited cuts in different markets, when they weren’t banned from being shown all together. Doctor Strange, Eternals, and West Side Story all had trouble hitting screens in various Persian Gulf countries due to small references or scenes.
What is surprising about this particular situation is that the movie will be released unedited in just about every other country. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed the movie will be screening unedited in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, and Qatar. As we know from earlier this year, Saudi Arabia is quick to ban Marvel movies from theaters.
All in all, just 60 seconds of footage was scrapped, which might seem like a lot, but compared to other movies, this is actually pretty tame! Has anyone checked in on that one theater in Oklahoma, though?
