In the 18 months since the first cineplex opened in Laos, the Cinema Department, under the Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism has never censored nor banned a film — until now. Screenings of the erotic romantic drama “Fifty Shades Darker” have been cancelled at all three cinemas in Laos.
According to the Film Authorization Permit that is created for each film shown in Laos: “After inspecting the contents of this film, it was found to be inappropriate to be shown, due to the film’s obscenity; therefore, it is forbidden to show this film in the Lao PDR.”
Fifty Shades Darker, starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan, opened worldwide on 10 Feb and has only garnered a 9% favorability rating on review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes. The online furor caused by such a ban will surely only increase bootleg DVD sales around the city in the coming months.
