Disney Pixar’s latest movie was a flop at the box office after the entertainment company decided to cancel Tim Allen as the voice of Buzz Lightyear. The film, Lightyear, earned $51.7 million in North America over the weekend, which was lower than expected and second place to “Jurassic World: Dominion,” which held the top spot for the second week in a row.
Disney’s new Toy Story spinoff recently opened in 4,255 theaters across America and 43 markets worldwide. However, the film faced criticism from some Muslim-majority countries who banned it from crossing their borders due to a controversial lesbian kiss scene.
The film has been banned in a number of countries, including the United Arab Emirates and Malaysia, which are both Muslim-majority nations. In Malaysia, for example, the movie has been blacklisted and is prohibited from being shown in movie theaters there. The country will not air a film that promotes homosexuality or a homosexual lifestyle.
Disney executives initially wanted to get rid of the lesbian kiss from the film, but after Disney employees protested and urged them to keep it in light of the company’s disappointing response to the Republican Don’t Say Gay Bill in Florida, they eventually relented.
In its first weekend, the film was a complete failure. Analysts are worried that Disney’s decision to substitute Tim Allen as Buzz’s voice and include a gay kiss might have damaged the film’s performance. People thought the movie would make approximately $70 million in its debut weekend, matching previous Toy Story installments.
Lightyear, on the other hand, will likely have to find alternative methods to compensate for its poor debut weekend.
It would be interesting to see whether Disney keeps the lesbian kiss in the movie or cuts it out to satisfy everyone. Although Tim Allen has yet to comment on the film’s failure or his firing, we’re certain he’s pleased. This wasn’t a success for Disney, but it may serve as a lesson for the company as it attempts to please everyone while still maintaining its principles.
This isn’t the first instance in which Disney has gotten negative feedback for its LGBTQ+ inclusive content. In 2019, it had to cut a scene from its live-action “The Lion King” movie that included a “gay moment.”
Disney has made great strides in their inclusion of LGBTQ+ people, but there is still a long way to go. It’s companies like Disney that set the standard for other entertainment businesses. With films like Lightyear, hopefully, we will see even more progress towards an inclusive future not just for Disney, but for all media organizations.
Do you believe Disney’s choice to add LGBTQ+ material was a positive or negative move? Should Disney have included the scene with the lesbian kiss in Lightyear, or do you think it was too graphic for a movie meant for children and families?
