Malaysia refuses to put "Fifty Shades of Grey" in its theaters given the movie's highly sexualized nature.
Datuk Abdul Halim Abdul Hamid, the chairman of the country's censorship board, called "Fifty Shades" more like "pornography than a movie," according to the Malaysian news outlet The Star. The movie adaptation of E.L. James' erotic novel was slated to premiere on Feb. 12 in the Southeast Asian country.
"The board made a decision in view of the film containing scenes that are not of natural sexual content. The content is more sadistic, featuring scenes of a woman being tied to a bed and whipped," Abdul Halim said.
In America, the Sam Taylor-Johnson directed film received an R-rating due to its "strong sexual content, unusual behavior and graphic nudity." The movie will also still run in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden and Britain, according to New York Daily News.
Jamie Dornan stars as the billionaire playboy Christian Grey, who welcomes the naïve Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) into his labyrinth of BDSM. The book trilogy has sold more than 100 million copies worldwide and has been translated into 52 languages.
"Fifty Shades of Grey" will open in American theaters on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14.
