Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody faces wrath of Malaysian censors

The new Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody has been a box office success all over the world, but those watching the film in Malaysia are being served up a truncated version of the film.

The issue stems from the country’s strict laws on homosexuality, with the Malay Mail reporting that 24 minutes of the movie have been cut, including the video for I Want To Break Free and a scene where Freddie (Rami Malek) tells Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton) that he’s bisexual.

Bohemian Rhapsody has also had its PG-13 rating in the US and UK upped to an 18 rating in Malaysia, while the running time clocks in at 110 minutes rather than 134 minutes across the world.

Twitter account MalayVines posted: “Disclaimed for watching Bohemian Rhapsody in Malaysia: They cut out all the gay scenes, thus leaving out huge plot holes.

“I watched in in both Singapore and Malaysia and I realise you won’t fully understand if you watch it in Malaysia. Recommend to watch someplace else!”

Homosexuality is illegal in Malaysia and punishable under federal law.

Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody

Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
The official soundtrack to the Queen biopic features previously unreleased audio from Live Aid, new versions of old favourites and a selection of songs from the band’s back catalogue.

Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent 35 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott keeps Louder’s buyer’s guides up to date, writes about the best deals for music fans, keeps on top of the latest tech releases and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more for Louder. Over the last 10 years, Scott has written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, The Tragically Hip, Marillion and Rush.