‘It Ends With Us’ Banned in Qatar Due to Kissing Scenes

It Ends With Us, starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, has been blocked from theatrical release in Qatar due to its kissing scenes, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

The country’s censorship committee decided to ban the Sony Pictures and Wayfarer Studios’ film, which has a PG-13 rating in the U.S. Qatar has strict censorship rules and has previously banned other hit films including Barbie, Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse, Anyone But You, Eternals, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse Of Madness, No Hard Feelings, Lightyear and more.

It Ends With Us, also directed by Baldoni, focuses on the sensitive issue of domestic violence and a woman’s internal battle between deciding to stay in a toxic relationship or leave it. The film, based on author Colleen Hoover‘s 2016 best-seller, also includes multiple kissing scenes and non-graphic sex scenes.

The romantic drama opened in theaters in the United States on Friday. It is expected to be a box office success during its opening weekend after earning a huge $7 million in Thursday previews. The movie, which is going up against Reynolds’ blockbuster Deadpool & Wolverine, was predicted by Sony to open to $23 million over the Aug. 9-11 weekend. However, others thought it could do more, pushing $40-50 million based on presales.

THR previously reported in 2021 that Eternals was likely banned over the inclusion of a same-gender couple in the film and Marvel’s first gay superhero, per sources at the time. In 2022, sources said Pixar’s Lightyear was reportedly blocked by Gulf censors due to a same-gender kiss in the movie. The Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ban in 2022 was also reportedly linked to the film’s inclusion of an LGBTQ character.