Eternals forbidden?

The new Marvel movie, Eternals, was last week removed from cinema schedules across the country.

Giving credit to various reports that the National Film and Video Censors Board has banned it from showing in cinemas nationwide. This move was suspected to be made in response to the same-sex relationship scenes portrayed in the movie.

The suspected ban was however confirmed through a statement posted by FilmOne,

Nigeria’s foremost film distributors, on Instagram. The statement described the absence of the movie from cinema logs in the country as a ‘delay’, hinting at a reprieve for movie lovers around the country.

You must have heard the news that the much anticipated Marvel Movie, #Eternals, that was set to be released yesterday, has been temporarily postponed in Nigeria,” the statement read.

“Our team is working hard to ensure that we bring #Eternals to cinemas across Nigeria.

Please bear with us as a new date will be communicated as soon as possible.”

The movie has stoked controversy around the world since its release due to the same-sex kissing scenes portrayed in one of its scenes. The controversial scene has gotten it banned in countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar.

The storm surrounding the movie is growing even bigger since Marvel seems to not be backing down by releasing edited versions of the movie to cater to the audiences in rankled countries.

Commenting on the ban, Angelina Jolie who starred in the movie said:

''I’m sad for [those audiences]. And I’m proud of Marvel for refusing to cut those scenes out'', Jolie told news.com.au.

''I still don’t understand how we live in a world today where there’s still [people who] would not see the family Phastos has and the beauty of that relationship and that love.

''How anybody is angry about it, threatened by it, doesn’t approve or appreciate it is ignorant.''

Angelina Jolie ece-auto-gen

While the battle between governments and the production houses rages on, audiences who have been looking forward to the movie’s release in the country have been left in limbo, unable to share in the glorious reviews splattered all over social media from regions where the movie has been released. Hopefully, FilmOne will be able to find a compromise that will be good enough for Marvel and the conservative censorship boards soonest.

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Seye Omidiora is a passionate football writer and pundit whose deep appreciation for the beautiful game exceeds the usual. He is currently a columnist for Goal Africa and has previously written for Vital Football UK, IBCity Info and Opera News.

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