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Disney, Marvel Return to Laos Theaters After Year-Long Hiatus

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UPDATED at 12:03 on 20 February

The last Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie to screen in Laos was on 12 November, 2023. Since then, local theaters have been without any new Disney, Marvel, or 20th Century Studios releases. But now, things are about to change. The US-based movie giant is about to make a comeback after over a year of hiatus.

On 11 February, Movie Society, a local film promotional page working with distributors, announced on Facebook: “Welcome back Disney, Marvel, and 20th Century Studios to Lao PDR.”  

Disney, Marvel Return to Laos Theaters After Year-Long Hiatus
Captain America: Brave New World, the first MCU film after a 1-year long hiatus in Laos, set to to hit theaters in Laos on 20 February (photo credit: X)

Shortly after, the page confirmed that ‘Captain America: Brave New World Marvel Studios’ latest installment, will premiere in Laos on 20 February at all Major Platinum Cineplex locations.

However, on 19 February, Movie Society told the Laotian Times that the film has been delayed indefinitely due to a “standard issue with Disney”. No clarification and further details were provided.

“The preparation to show Disney films is not yet 100 percent ready. There are still some finalizations to be made,” said the admin of Movie Society.

The page has also removed every promotional post for the film in response to the delay.

Currently, cinemas are limited to Vientiane and Pakse, Champasack, with a new theater set to open in Savannakhet in May. 

Thippapha “Jenny” Xayavong, a 24-year-old Vientiane resident, shared her struggles over the past year in finding places to watch new films.

“Back in high school, I would often go see the MCU films with a group of friends as we were so gung-ho about it,” Jenny said, recalling her teenage years where she claimed that it was when American super hero films were at their peak in Laos.

Her love for Marvel continued into adulthood, but she was left disappointed when local theaters stopped showing her favorite films.

“I was really sad that I couldn’t see Inside Out 2 in Laos last year,” Jenny said. In the end, she managed to catch the film months later on a flight.

“Whenever I wanted to watch Disney films, I had to cross to Thailand to do so or watch through Thai websites.”

Why Disney and Marvel Took So Long to Return to Laos

Movie Society explained that the absence of Western films, including Disney and Marvel, stemmed from licensing and pricing issues. An anonymous admin of the page shared that the high costs set by copyright holders made it difficult for local distributors to negotiate.

“The seller [the copyright owner] set the price too high, to the point where the buyer [movie distributors in Laos] found it difficult to negotiate as the risk [financial loss] was extremely high,” said the admin. “Another thing is that the seller thought that since there aren’t so many theaters in Laos, distributing films here wouldn’t be worth the money. But we already made an attempt to buy the distribution license.”  

Ticket prices have also been a challenge. With the economic downturn, it has become unsustainable to offer the discounts that once–before the 2020 COVID pandemic–made movie tickets more affordable—around LAK 5,000 – 10,000 (USD 0.23 – 0.46).

“With current economic conditions, there’s no way to bring back those kinds of promotions. People now only pay for films they really want to see,” the admin said. 

Despite the challenges, Movie Society has continued to focus on films that attract large local audiences, such as Thai comedy and horror films. However, foreign films—especially those not dubbed in Thai—haven’t performed well in Laos.

“There are cases where foreign films that were shown in Thailand did very well, whereas those exact same films perform poorly in Laos because we [theaters in Laos] did not achieve the dubbed rights, so we had to show it in the original language,” the admin explained. “If foreign films didn’t have a Thai dub, watchers in Laos would ask for Thai subtitles instead.” 

Although efforts have been made to include Lao voiceovers, they haven’t gained widespread acceptance.  

Fan Reactions: Mix of Excitement and Frustration

Banlouxay ‘Ban’ Xaphakdy, a 26-year-old Marvel fan, is thrilled by the return of Disney and Marvel films.

“I’m a big fan of cinema, but when it comes to Western films, I have to rely either on Netflix or unauthorized Thai film sites,” Ban said. “But I’m so glad that they’re bringing them [Marvel films] back now. I was quite disappointed that Deadpool & Wolverine didn’t come to Laos last year.”  

However, Ban shared his frustration with one aspect of the theater experience—subtitles.  

“I just wish they didn’t have subtitles in the Lao language,” he said, explaining that the Lao subtitles sometimes use “bizarre terms that ruin the movie.”  

Although the return of Disney and Marvel films marks a significant moment for Lao moviegoers, Movie Society has yet to reveal which films will follow Captain America: Brave New World. For now, audiences can look forward to enjoying blockbuster films on the big screen once again.

Between 2015 and 2023, Laos saw nearly every Marvel film hit theaters, from Deadpool to Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. But after The Marvels premiered in November, 2023, local theaters were left without a new Marvel release.

Now, with the return of Captain America: Brave New World, Lao film lovers are finally getting their fill of Hollywood’s biggest hits once again.

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