Banned From Theaters: These 30 Iconic Movies Got The Ax

Movie theaters are sacred spaces for people to go and watch films. Ever since the heyday of the MPAA rating system, theaters have had to make decisions not to show certain movies (for a host of legitimate reasons). There’s a careful method for choosing some movies over others to screen in theaters based on the general movie-going audience. 

Starring comedic actors and icons, James Franco and Seth Rogen, The Interview was a movie that had a lot of negative publicity surrounding its release. Audiences were really excited to see the film, but threats due to unlawful subject matter caused the movie to not get a U.S. release. 

Some people might warn you before watching A Clockwork Orange. Although it’s a massive cult classic, the extremely graphic content and disturbing portrayal of sociopaths were deemed too much for sensitive audiences in some countries. 

When people think of Scarface, the 1983 version with Al Pacino likely comes to mind first. Contrary to popular belief, there was actually a 1930s version – its full title Scarface: The Shame of a Nation – prior to the ‘80s film. It was wildly popular back in the day, and, it was also based on a successful novel. However, a lot of theaters wouldn’t show it for this reason.    

Tobe Hooper’s iconic 1974 film has gained notoriety as being one of the greatest horror slasher movies ever made. The Leatherface mask has become an unmistakable pop culture reference, much less a recognizable Halloween item. Despite its lingering popularity and two remakes, the original movie was considered too gratuitous and violent to be shown in theaters. 

This hilarious satire is about a man who is mistaken for Christ. Although it was witty and characterized by tongue-in-cheek humor, a lot of people thought it was offensive and degrading to many religions. The movie is another example of one that ignited religious controversy and disrupted its own comedic genius. 

Ang Lee’s masterpiece about two cowboys who fall in love gained critical attention and was even nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Although it’s a beautiful and poignant film, its depiction of two gay men in a relationship didn’t fly in the South and other countries outside the United States.

Directed by Sam Raimi, the 1981 movie is an absolute cult classic and a crucial addition to the horror genre. It’s shocking, gory, violent, and has themes that are quite taboo. Unsurprisingly, many U.S. theaters didn’t screen the movie because of its outrageous and graphic content.  

Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1972 film starring Marlon Brando is an explicit drama about the passionate affair between an American man and a French woman. This isn’t the first time that a film has had a limited release or been outright banned due to its inappropriate content. In the U.S., however, it gained status as a cult classic. 

Disney’s 2017 live-action version of Beauty and the Beast was banned in one state because of a character. One drive-thru theater in Alabama thought that LeFou was portrayed as gay, which they blatantly were offended by. 

This film caused a particularly heavy-handed conversation amongst the Christian community. It depicts Christ’s struggles with really human themes while being God. Christ struggles with the idea that he could experience a normal, fulfilling life, but deny his role as God and doubts religion. 

The one next on this list is a very disturbing and horrific movie based on a real-life event that happened in a Wisconsin town. Slender Man was created from a meme, which inspired two 12-year-old girls to stab their friend 19 times. Due to these tragic events, we understand why this particular Wisconsin movie theater banned the movie. 

Most people remember Borat for his crazy shenanigans and outlandish personality. Although he was very controversial and hilarious, the brought something unique to the big screen. It was a massive hit in the U.S., but, not shockingly, many Arab countries banned the movie because of the connotations of the Cohen regime. 

In 1915, female filmmaker and writer Margaret Sanger decided to make a movie showcasing her work on contraception. It was initially shown at a private theater and then banned by movie theaters. A law was even made against Sanger’s film that deemed it too inappropriate for public viewing. 

Disney produced some short films about the West in the 1940s and all of its stunning beauty. They were a hit, except in New York, where the movie was banned because its theaters deemed that the footage of animals was too graphic. 

Smaller movie chains chose to not screen the 2017 movie because of the profit-sharing issues between the theater and those that made the film. Unfortunately, the 65% cost of tickets was too much for small theaters, and the result was pretty sad. 

2018’s Roma was a sensational film nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including a win for Best Director and Best Cinematography. Also, it was impressively the first-ever Mexican entry to win Best Foreign Language Film. The AMC and Regal theater chains didn’t care about its accolades and decided to not show the film. 

2020 was an interesting year for the movie industry. The pandemic completely altered the state of going to theaters and significantly impacted ticket sales. With stay-at-home orders in place, certain theater companies were not happy when studios released their films on demand instead of in theaters. AMC is one of those companies. 

This unusual 1979 movie centers on a boy who refuses to be born unless he’s given a tin drum. When he turns three, he wishes to never grow older, and, miraculously, his wish comes true. There are a few intimate themes in the movie that one state, in particular, was not a fan of showing to its audiences. 

It’s clear based on the title of this movie why it was notoriously banned. Completed in 1980, the film obviously didn’t gain a lot of viewings or popularity. Its provocative, crude, violent, and unsettling content deterred countries from showing the movie within their borders, even the U.S.

Directed by Todd Haynes, the 1987 documentary shed light on Karen Carpenter’s final 17 years of her life and the struggles of dealing with an eating disorder. The film was quite popular critically, at first, and has even become something of a cult classic. Despite how well-received it was, the movie was banned in 1990.

2002’s spoof comedy, Ernest and Bertram, showed viewers an unseen look inside Sesame Street, and what would have happened if Ernest and Bert had become more than friends. The Sundance Film Festival praised the movie, but in terms of its real release, it had some challenges. 

Parodying the Church of Scientology, this 2001 movie was a spoof that made fun of the Church and its founder, L. Ron Hubbard. Clearly, the Church didn’t like being the butt of jokes, which prompted the Foundation for Religious Tolerance of Florida to protest the movie. 

The 1967 documentary film showed the lives of Bridgewater State Hospital’s criminally insane inmates. Even though it won many awards and received notoriety, one state did not want it to be shown. 

As one of the most contentious movies of the 1980s, Silent Night, Deadly Night was about a  boy who suffered PTSD after witnessing his parents getting killed by a man dressed as Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. Parents were not thrilled that a movie about murder was released around Christmas.  

This 1932 film directed by Tod Browning about circus freaks was classified as too peculiar and grotesque for an audience during its initial test screening. Browning ended up cutting 25 minutes from the 90-minute movie, but even that didn’t get people in theaters. 

The 1922 silent horror film, Häxan, is about the beginnings of witchcraft, which was not a popular subject in those days. Banned in the U.S. from 1922-1929, witchcraft wasn’t just the only reason it was prohibited from being shown in theaters. 

Party Girl was released in 1930. The controversial film focused on a businessman getting involved with an escort agency, as well as some other unsavory activities. Because it was 1930, audiences didn’t like the fact that the movie had escorts engaging in illicit behaviors with illustrious men.   

A film noir from 1950, the movie is about an experienced criminal, Ralph Cotter, who flees from prison, murders his partner-in-crime, and woos his partner’s sister, Holiday. Tragically but not unexpectedly, their romance didn’t last. In the state of Ohio, this movie was not a hot ticket. 

The Birth of a Nation is considered one of the most racially insensitive and vile films ever made, and, not to mention, extremely controversial. The production company probably didn’t know just how unfavorably audiences would perceive this film in certain big cities and some states across the country.