Animated film "Abominable" will not be shown in Malaysia after its distributor Sunday said it could not comply with censors' demands to cut a controversial scene showing Beijing's disputed claims in the South China Sea.

The decision comes after <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/vietnam-pulls-dreamworks-abominable-film-over-south-china-sea-map-255992">Vietnam pulled</a> the Universal Pictures movie from theatres days ago and the Philippines' foreign secretary called for the segment to be excised.

"Universal has decided not to make the censor cut required by the Malaysian censor board and as such will not be able to release the film in Malaysia," United International Pictures Malaysia said in an email to AFP.

The animated film about a Chinese teenager helping a yeti return to his home shows a chart featuring the "nine-dash" line which sets out Beijing's expansive claims to the flashpoint waters.

By including the U-shaped line, the movie -- a joint production by Universal Pictures subsidiary DreamWorks and China's Pearl Studio -- has stumbled into a festering row that has long been a source of friction between Beijing and Southeast Asia.

Malaysia's film censorship board chief Mohamad Zamberi Abdul Aziz had said that the movie -- due for release on November 7 -- could be screened in the country "with the condition that the map, which has become controversial, is removed".

Beijing has based its claims to almost all the resource-rich South China Sea, which is home to important shipping routes, on historic documents. As well as the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan are rival claimants.

The movie was released in Vietnam on October 4 but the country's main cinema franchise CGV said it would no longer show the film after it was notified about the map.

The cartoon also opened in Philippine cinemas earlier this month, with the adverse reaction not surfacing until later. &nbsp;

Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin said that "of course they should cut out the offending scene".

A 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling said China's claim was without basis, something Beijing has ignored.

Animated film "Abominable" will not be shown in Malaysia after its distributor Sunday said it could not comply with censors' demands to cut a controversial scene showing Beijing's disputed claims in the South China Sea.

Animated film "Abominable" will not be shown in Malaysia after its distributor Sunday said it could not comply with censors' demands to cut a controversial scene showing Beijing's disputed claims in the South China Sea. The decision comes after Vietnam pulled the Universal Pictures movie from theatres days ago and the Philippines' foreign secretary called for the segment to be excised. "Universal has decided not to make the censor cut required by the Malaysian censor board and as such will not be able to release the film in Malaysia," United International Pictures Malaysia said in an email to AFP. The animated film about a Chinese teenager helping a yeti return to his home shows a chart featuring the "nine-dash" line which sets out Beijing's expansive claims to the flashpoint waters. By including the U-shaped line, the movie -- a joint production by Universal Pictures subsidiary DreamWorks and China's Pearl Studio -- has stumbled into a festering row that has long been a source of friction between Beijing and Southeast Asia. Malaysia's film censorship board chief Mohamad Zamberi Abdul Aziz had said that the movie -- due for release on November 7 -- could be screened in the country "with the condition that the map, which has become controversial, is removed". Beijing has based its claims to almost all the resource-rich South China Sea, which is home to important shipping routes, on historic documents. As well as the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan are rival claimants. The movie was released in Vietnam on October 4 but the country's main cinema franchise CGV said it would no longer show the film after it was notified about the map. The cartoon also opened in Philippine cinemas earlier this month, with the adverse reaction not surfacing until later. Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin said that "of course they should cut out the offending scene". A 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling said China's claim was without basis, something Beijing has ignored.

'Abominable' won't be screened in Malaysia over South China Sea map row

Vietnam has pulled DreamWorks` animated film 'Abominable' from cinemas over a scene featuring a map which shows China`s unilaterally declared "nine-dash line" in the South China Sea, state media reported on Monday. 
 
The U-shaped line is a feature used on Chinese maps to illustrate its claims over vast expanses of the resource-rich South China Sea, including large swathes of what Vietnam regards as its continental shelf, where it has awarded oil concessions. 
 
Last week, sports network ESPN faced criticism of its coverage of a row between the National Basketball Association (NBA) and China after using a map that featured the line. 
 
China and Vietnam have been locked in a standoff since China dispatched a vessel to conduct an energy survey in waters controlled by Vietnam in early July. 
 
"We will revoke (the film`s licence)," Ta Quang Dong, deputy minister of culture, sports and tourism, was quoted as saying by the Thanh Nien newspaper. 
 
The ministry is in charge of licensing and censoring foreign films. 
 
'Abominable', about a Chinese girl who discovers a yeti living on her roof, was jointly produced by Shanghai-based Pearl Studio and Comcast-owned DreamWorks Animation and was first shown in Vietnamese cinemas on October&nbsp;4. 
 
The film, which was being marketed in Vietnam as 'Everest: The Little Yeti'&nbsp;was removed from cinemas on Sunday after images of the scene with the offending map were shared widely on social media. 
 
A spokeswoman for CJ CGV Vietnam, Vietnam`s largest cinema chain and a unit of South Korea`s CJ CGV, declined to comment. 
A receptionist at the state-run National Cinema Center in Hanoi said the culture ministry had issued an order requiring all cinemas to stop showing the film because of the map scene. 
 
Calls to Nguyen Thu Ha, the head of the culture ministry`s cinema department, went unanswered on Monday. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

At the National Cinema Center in Hanoi, workers could be seen taking down posters of the film late on Monday.&nbsp;In August, police broke up a brief protest outside the Chinese embassy in Hanoi over the survey vessel. 
 
Vietnam has repeatedly accused the vessel and its escorts of violating its sovereignty and has demanded that China remove its ships from the area.

Vietnam has pulled DreamWorks` animated film 'Abominable' from cinemas over a scene featuring a map which shows China`s unilaterally declared "nine-dash line" in the South China Sea, state media reported on Monday.

Vietnam has pulled DreamWorks` animated film 'Abominable' from cinemas over a scene featuring a map which shows China`s unilaterally declared "nine-dash line" in the South China Sea, state media reported on Monday. The U-shaped line is a feature used on Chinese maps to illustrate its claims over vast expanses of the resource-rich South China Sea, including large swathes of what Vietnam regards as its continental shelf, where it has awarded oil concessions. Last week, sports network ESPN faced criticism of its coverage of a row between the National Basketball Association (NBA) and China after using a map that featured the line. China and Vietnam have been locked in a standoff since China dispatched a vessel to conduct an energy survey in waters controlled by Vietnam in early July. "We will revoke (the film`s licence)," Ta Quang Dong, deputy minister of culture, sports and tourism, was quoted as saying by the Thanh Nien newspaper. The ministry is in charge of licensing and censoring foreign films. 'Abominable', about a Chinese girl who discovers a yeti living on her roof, was jointly produced by Shanghai-based Pearl Studio and Comcast-owned DreamWorks Animation and was first shown in Vietnamese cinemas on October 4. The film, which was being marketed in Vietnam as 'Everest: The Little Yeti' was removed from cinemas on Sunday after images of the scene with the offending map were shared widely on social media. A spokeswoman for CJ CGV Vietnam, Vietnam`s largest cinema chain and a unit of South Korea`s CJ CGV, declined to comment. A receptionist at the state-run National Cinema Center in Hanoi said the culture ministry had issued an order requiring all cinemas to stop showing the film because of the map scene. Calls to Nguyen Thu Ha, the head of the culture ministry`s cinema department, went unanswered on Monday. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment. At the National Cinema Center in Hanoi, workers could be seen taking down posters of the film late on Monday. In August, police broke up a brief protest outside the Chinese embassy in Hanoi over the survey vessel. Vietnam has repeatedly accused the vessel and its escorts of violating its sovereignty and has demanded that China remove its ships from the area.

Vietnam pulls DreamWorks' 'Abominable' film over South China Sea map

'Abominable' towered over the box office this weekend as Universal and DreamWorks&nbsp;animated adventure debuted to $20.85 million in North America and $29.7 million worldwide. 
 
The PG movie benefitted as one of the few offerings at multiplexes catering to family crowds and marked the best opening of the year for an original animated film. 
 
Jill Culton wrote and directed 'Abominable',&nbsp;becoming the first female to independently make an animated film for a major studio. 
 
Universal's DreamWorks co-produced the movie with China's Pearl Studios. With a softer $8.8 million start at the international box office, the two companies will rely on Chinese audiences to turn out in force (where it debuts on Tuesday) to help justify its $75 million budget. 
 
'Abominable'&nbsp;follows a young girl named Yi (voiced by Marvel's 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D',&nbsp;actress Chloe Bennet) who embarks on an epic journey to reunite a yeti named Everest with his family. 
 
As awards season kicks off, Roadside Attractions&nbsp;'Judy'&nbsp;hit a high note at the specialty box office. 
 
The Renee Zellweger-led Judy Garland biopic amassed $3 million, enough to crack the top 10 despite opening on just 461 screens. 
 
The movie, which is already generating Oscar buzz for Zellweger's transformation into the troubled star, appealed mostly to older females. 
 
Among inaugural crowds, 60% were women and nearly 80% were over the age of 35. 
 
Though 'Abominable'&nbsp;was the only new nationwide offering this weekend, a number of holdovers enjoyed solid receipts. 
 
Last weekend's box office champion, Focus Features&nbsp;'Downton Abbey'&nbsp;slid to second place on domestic charts. 
 
The big-screen adaptation of the popular British TV series collected $14.5 million from 3,390 theaters, declining 53% from its inaugural outing. 
 
After two weeks of release, 'Downton Abbey'&nbsp;has earned $58.5 million in North America. 
 
In third place, STX's 'Hustler'&nbsp;declined just 32% in its third frame, added another $11.47 million to its domestic haul. 
 
The $20 million film - directed by Lorene Scafaria and starring Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu -&nbsp;has generated a strong $80 million at the domestic box office and $95.4 million globally. 
 
In a race that's currently too close to call, Warner Bros.&nbsp;'It: Chapter Two'&nbsp;and Disney's 'Ad Astra'&nbsp;will battle it out for fourth and fifth rankings on box office charts. 
 
Based on Sunday's estimates, both films pocketed roughly $10 million over the three-day frame. 
 
'It: Chapter Two',&nbsp;now in its fourth weekend of release, has made $193 million in North America. Brad Pitt's 'Ad Astra'&nbsp;has picked up $34 million at the domestic box office. 
 
In box office milestones, Universal's 'Good Boys'&nbsp;crossed $100 million in global ticket sales, becoming the first original R-rated comedy to surpass that benchmark since last February's 'Game Night. 
&nbsp;

'Abominable' towered over the box office this weekend as Universal and DreamWorks animated adventure debuted to $20.85 million in North America and $29.7 million worldwide.

'Abominable' towered over the box office this weekend as Universal and DreamWorks animated adventure debuted to $20.85 million in North America and $29.7 million worldwide. The PG movie benefitted as one of the few offerings at multiplexes catering to family crowds and marked the best opening of the year for an original animated film. Jill Culton wrote and directed 'Abominable', becoming the first female to independently make an animated film for a major studio. Universal's DreamWorks co-produced the movie with China's Pearl Studios. With a softer $8.8 million start at the international box office, the two companies will rely on Chinese audiences to turn out in force (where it debuts on Tuesday) to help justify its $75 million budget. 'Abominable' follows a young girl named Yi (voiced by Marvel's 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D', actress Chloe Bennet) who embarks on an epic journey to reunite a yeti named Everest with his family. As awards season kicks off, Roadside Attractions 'Judy' hit a high note at the specialty box office. The Renee Zellweger-led Judy Garland biopic amassed $3 million, enough to crack the top 10 despite opening on just 461 screens. The movie, which is already generating Oscar buzz for Zellweger's transformation into the troubled star, appealed mostly to older females. Among inaugural crowds, 60% were women and nearly 80% were over the age of 35. Though 'Abominable' was the only new nationwide offering this weekend, a number of holdovers enjoyed solid receipts. Last weekend's box office champion, Focus Features 'Downton Abbey' slid to second place on domestic charts. The big-screen adaptation of the popular British TV series collected $14.5 million from 3,390 theaters, declining 53% from its inaugural outing. After two weeks of release, 'Downton Abbey' has earned $58.5 million in North America. In third place, STX's 'Hustler' declined just 32% in its third frame, added another $11.47 million to its domestic haul. The $20 million film - directed by Lorene Scafaria and starring Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu - has generated a strong $80 million at the domestic box office and $95.4 million globally. In a race that's currently too close to call, Warner Bros. 'It: Chapter Two' and Disney's 'Ad Astra' will battle it out for fourth and fifth rankings on box office charts. Based on Sunday's estimates, both films pocketed roughly $10 million over the three-day frame. 'It: Chapter Two', now in its fourth weekend of release, has made $193 million in North America. Brad Pitt's 'Ad Astra' has picked up $34 million at the domestic box office. In box office milestones, Universal's 'Good Boys' crossed $100 million in global ticket sales, becoming the first original R-rated comedy to surpass that benchmark since last February's 'Game Night.

'Abominable' climbs to no 1 spot at the US box office with $20.8 million, 'Judy' hits high note

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