Deadline has confirmed that Disney/Marvel’s upcoming big global blockbuster Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is currently not getting a theatrical release in Saudi Arabia.
We hear that Doctor Strange 2 hasn’t technically not been banned, it simply didn’t receive a distribution certificate. If that changes, we’ll update you.
This follows in the wake of Marvel’s The Eternals not playing in Saudi Arabia, that pic forbidden there over its same gender couple romance and the MCU’s first gay superhero. Quite often movies with LGBTQ content don’t make it past censors in the Gulf, and Doctor Strange 2 features America Chavez (portrayed by Xochitl Gomez) who is gay in the Marvel comics.
Doctor Strange 2 was scheduled to be released across the Gulf as part of the day-and-date theatrical debut on May 5. The sequel is expected to be released in United Arab Emirates. Kuwait and Qatar’s release for Doctor Strange 2 remain up in the air.
Sam Raimi directs Benedict Cumberbatch’s return as Dr. Stephen Strange. The wizard has cast a forbidden spell that opens the doorway to the multiverse, including alternate versions of himself, whose threat to humanity is too great for the combined forces of Strange, his associate Wong, and Wanda Maximof.
Advance tickets for Doctor Strange 2 went on sale on April 6, and Fandango reported that the sequel is their best stateside pre-sales to date this year, besting the 24-hour first day sales of Warner Bros.’ The Batman.