So, we’re not sure if you’ve heard this, but Deadpool is pretty violent. It’s also got a pretty dirty mouth. Also sex. There’s sex, too. It’s a movie for adults, and possibly your already-stunted kids, is what we’re saying. However, not every country in the world views films with the same perspective as we do in the United States. This means that in order to get released at all, Deadpool has required edits in many countries. This isn’t that surprising considering it’s already been banned in one of the biggest movie markets in the world.
Several weeks ago we learned that Deadpool had already been banned in China. The nation doesn’t have any sort of rating system, so all movies have to be acceptable to all audiences. It was apparently impossible to make the necessary edits in China without it impacting the story. However, in other countries, such an India, which does have an Adults certification for movies, it was possible to make some edits which made the film suitable for the nation without destroying the plot. According to Indian film censor chief Pahlaj Nihalani:
We have made very general cuts. If you look at what has happened to Deadpool in China, it was apparently banned because any number of cuts was seen to hamper the storyline of the film. I can assure you the cuts we've requested in no way affect the storytelling.
While dnaIndia.com does not go into what specifically was edited out of Deadpool, it’s likely that the film just saw some reductions in the total amount of all the glorious language, violence, and sex. A similar thing happened last year when the latest James Bond movie tried to open there. A couple of the spy’s makeout scenes in Spectre were deemed a little too steamy for Indian audiences so they were edited down so that they did not last as long. India has apparently become more liberal in recent years in regards to Hollywood films so it doesn’t look like anything was chopped out across the board, but rather, simply reduced, so there’s less violence, not none.
It just goes to show how differently countries look at different content. What was already deemed an "adult" affair in the US was still too much for India or China without making cuts. It’s very likely that a number of Middle Eastern countries will have problems with Deadpool as well, as they also often make changes to western films, assuming they’re ever screened in the first place. It will be interesting to see how the bans and edits impact the movie’s overseas business.
Movie making is now a global concern, so while too many edits to the film may be a problem for the filmmakers, a lack of box office receipts may be a bigger problem for the businessmen behind them.
