Disney/Pixar
A movie theater in Oklahoma posted, and then removed, over the weekend a note on a window for customers about a same-sex kiss in Disney and Pixar's "Lightyear," saying that it would fast-forward through the scene.
The independent 89er Theatre in Kingfisher, Oklahoma posted the note, which said, according to NBC News:
"Attention Parents: The management of this theatre discovered after booking 'Lightyear' that there is a same-sex kissing scene within the first 30 minutes of the Pixar movie. We will do all we can to fast-forward through that scene, but it might not be exact."
The local NBC affiliate KFOR reported that the sign was gone by Monday morning. The local ABC affiliate KOCO 5 reported that the theater's owner said that the theater never actually tampered with the movie and it was shown uninterrupted.
The 89er Theatre did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A representative for Disney, which released the movie, also did not immediately respond.
Disney was recently embroiled in controversy over its lack of LGBTQ+ representation in its movies, stemming from its initial silence on Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill, which prohibits discussion of gender and sexuality in classrooms kindergarten through the third grade.
Staffers at Pixar, the Disney-owned animation studio that made "Lightyear," accused Disney leadership in a March statement of demanding cuts to "nearly every moment of overtly gay affection" in its movies.
Disney had initially removed the brief same-sex kiss from "Lightyear," but restored it after the Pixar backlash, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
"Lightyear" has been banned in 14 Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian markets over the kiss.
The movie opened in theaters over the weekend with $50.5 million in the US, below projections. It's among the worst opening weekends for a Pixar movie.
It faced heavy competition, such as "Top Gun: Maverick" and "Jurassic World: Dominion," in a theatrical market still recovering from the pandemic. Confusing marketing over the movie's premise could have also contributed to its lackluster box office.
It's also the first Pixar movie to be released to theaters, and not directly to Disney+, in over two years, and many consumers may have expected to stream the movie.
