It ends with Qatar. Blake Lively ’s new romantic drama “It Ends With Us” has reportedly been banned from movie screens in Qatar because of the film’s kissing scenes. The nation’s Censorship Committee – which has the final word on what plays in Qatari theaters – was behind the decision to block the PG-13 film, according to Deadline and Variety .
Based on the popular Colleen Hoover novel of the same name, “It Ends With Us” focuses its story on domestic abuse and a woman’s struggle to leave a toxic relationship. The Justin Baldoni-directed flick features multiple kissing scenes and non-graphic sex scenes in which the characters wear underwear. Located on the Northeastern Coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East, Qatar has a long history of banning Hollywood films from its cinemas.
Other recent PG-13 releases blocked from exhibition in Qatar include Greta Gerwig’s feminist “Barbie,” the animated adventure “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” and two Marvel projects, “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” and “Eternals.” Unsurprisingly, there’s plenty of R-rated flicks that has also failed to garner the Censorship Committee’s approval for predictable reasons. “No Hard Feelings” had a naked Jennifer Lawrence; the Buzz Lightyear/ “Toy Story” spinoff “Lightyear” included a same-sex kiss; the Pixar movie “Onward” hinted at a character being lesbian; and the steamy Glen Powell/Sydney Sweeney romance “Anyone b.