[Updated] Release Of “50 Shades Of Grey” Canceled In Vietnam

[Update Below] While CGV will soon introduce IMAX in Vietnam, it won’t be bringing local audiences one of the year’s most anticipated films as 50 Shades Of Grey has been pulled from Vietnamese theaters.

The steamy film, an adaptation of the best selling book of the same name, was scheduled to open in Vietnam as part of a wider international release yesterday, according to Thanh Nien (though popular film website, IMDB lists the opening date in Vietnam as today).

However, following in the footsteps of conservative neighboring countries, such as Indonesia and Malaysia, CGV, which holds the film's distribution rights in Vietnam, abruptly pulled the film from their screens without explanation.

“Advertisements showed that the movie has been rated "16+" for mature audience. Movie fans commented on social media that that 50 Shades' sex scenes may have caused Vietnam's censors to ban it, even though no official statement has been released,” wrote the paper, adding that, “A source said the censorship board once decided to cut 20 minutes from the 124-minute long movie to remove all steamy scenes between the two leads.”

The film has been the subject of international protests, not only for its erotic content, but for glamorizing domestic abuse.

Update: According to VN Express, the movie will be shown in Vietnamese theaters starting tonight and has been listed on the ticketing page of CGV's website. No reasons were given for the temporary cancelation.