The age restriction for the Power Rangers film was just raised from 16+ to 18+ by the Russian film distributor WDSSPR without providing an explanation, meaning that only viewers over 18 will be admitted to the screenings.
The change was made after criticism from Russian legislators for the movie's inclusion of a gay character, the Yellow Ranger Trini.
The Hollywood Reporter's Vladimir Kozlov shared quotes of the legislator Vitaly Milonov, who criticized the film and called for banning it, speaking on the conservative television network Tsargrad.
In 2013, Milonov, wrote the controversial law "against gay propaganda among minors", and now, he said he was outraged by the inclusion of a gay superhero character in Power Rangers.
"If fascist ideology is banned in our country, then [movies by] the likes of Dean Israelite should be banned first thing," Milonov said.
Politician Alexei Zhuravlev criticized the branch that gave the film a license to be screened in Russia. .
"Some officials [at the Culture Ministry] don't want to observe laws adopted by the State Duma [lower chamber of Russian Parliament], specifically the law banning gay propaganda among minors," Zhuravlev said.
Millonov also wanted to ban Disney's Beauty and the Beast ahead of its release since it featured a homosexual character, Josh Gad's LeFou.
You can read our review of the film here.
Related: The Power Rangers Cast Members Think The Green Ranger Should Be A Girl
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