Those eager to watch Robert Pattinson in his upcoming thriller ‘Primetime’ will be disappointed as Malaysia has banned the film from a theatrical release.
Local distributor Antenna Entertainment confirmed on 6 October that the Film Censorship Board (LPF) had prohibited the film from being shown in Malaysia.
Antenna Entertainment announced the decision on Instagram, apologising to Malaysian moviegoers who had been looking forward to the film.
The movie was originally scheduled to open on 1 October before being pushed back to 8 October. It has now been cancelled altogether.
Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) has also confirmed that the film’s Malaysian release had been cancelled.
However, neither the distributor nor cinema chains provided details about why the film was banned.
The LPF has also not publicly explained the specific grounds for its decision, so there has been no official confirmation about which part of the film prompted the ban.
The film follows the rise and fall of Chris Hansen, the host of the infamous 2000s reality show To Catch a Predator.
The drama-thriller centers on Hansen’s obsessive pursuit to catch “a whale” after To Catch a Predator makes the jump from Dateline NBC segment to its own popular block on primetime TV. The series was cancelled following Rockwall County assistant district attorney Bill Conradt’s suicide after Texas police and the “To Catch a Predator” team entered his home with search and arrest warrants.
Pattinson also serves as a producer, with the cast including Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo and Phoebe Bridgers in her acting debut. The film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival on 5 September before opening in North American cinemas on 25 September.
For now, Malaysian audiences will have to wait for any further announcement from the LPF or distributor on whether the film could eventually be made available through another platform or format.
