After Saudi Arabia banned the Japanese anime film 'Demon Slayer: To the Swordsmith Village' from local theaters over censorship issues, Kuwait has seemingly followed suit as the movie is no longer listed by local cinema providers despite being advertised earlier to release this weekend.
Saudi Cinema had posted a message on its Twitter profile to explain the reason behind the cancelation, saying that "the company that has the rights to distribute the film has refused to make the requested modifications so that the film can be broadcast in our cinemas.” The scene in question was not specified, but speculation center around a suggestive scene that distributors may have refused requests for it to be modified.
While Kuwait's cinema companies have not released a similar statement, the movie is no longer available for booking on their websites despite being previously advertised for a March 2 release. A similar situation is happening in the UAE which suggest that the movie could face a wide Middle East ban.
Demon Slayer: To the Swordsmith Village is the second theatrical release of the popular Demon Slayer/Kimetsu no Yaiba series. It includes both the end of season 2 of the series and the first episode of season 3, the Swordsmith Village Arc, which will release on April 9, 2023. The first movie 'Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train' was released in 2020 and became the world's highest-grossing anime and Japanese film of all time. It was the first time a non-Hollywood production topped the annual worldwide box office.