(CL) – Moviegoers in Canada will not currently be able to see Unplanned in theaters. Three of the nation’s largest distributors have rejected the movie, meaning that it cannot even receive a rating. “We have been effectively blocked from distributing the film in Canada,” said producer Lisa Wheeler, according to Life Site News. Unplanned tells the real-life story of Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood employee who became a pro-life advocate after witnessing an abortion. Life Site reports that for films to be legally shown in Canada and to receive a rating,
they must have distributors. Three of the largest Canadian distributors, Cineplex, Landmark, and Mongrel Media, have refused to show Unplanned, citing the film’s “content” as their reason for rejecting it. Chuck Konzelman, who wrote, directed, and produced Unplanned, told Life Site in an email that when Cinemark shut them down, it closed off any chance for showing the movie in the country. “In Canada, Cineplex basically has monopolistic power,” he said. “The National Post mentions them as controlling nearly 80 percent of all movie screens, and from our limited experience, they seem to have many of the most desirable locations, in and near the major metropolitan areas. So rejection by Cineplex basically means we’re not playing in Canada.” READ MORE
