Movies That Some Theaters Refused To Show

When movie theaters first came on the scene at the turn of the 20th century, they changed the way we sought out entertainment forever. The early days of cinema were a bit of a lawless land while filmmakers attempted to figure out this brand new medium and how to sell it to viewers everywhere. In time, however, it was acknowledged that film could be a very profound influence on audiences, and from 1930 to 1968, the Motion Picture Production Code was in place to establish a set of moral guidelines for filmmakers. 

That sort of mandated censorship doesn't really exist anymore, with the code replaced by the MPAA's rating system (which, of course, has its own issues). But there are still plenty of ways that filmmakers and studios curb the content of their work in order to appeal to as large an audience as possible. Regardless, there are still some theaters that choose not to show certain films for a variety of reasons, whether they be moral, fiscal, or logistical.

In 2015, the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon sequel Sword of Destiny was the first film to be barred by a theater company because of its simultaneous release on Netflix. Again, with many theaters struggling to compete with streaming services for viewers' attentions, it's only natural that theater owners be wary of such an unbalanced deal. Though the movie itself did fairly well upon its release in China, it was met with a cooler reception stateside. 

Though choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping returns, this time in a directorial position, and the incomparable Michelle Yeoh reprises her role as Yu Shu Lien, this sequel lacks a lot of what made Ang Lee's original Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon such a tour-de-force of Chinese cinema. One wonders if it would have made a more favorable impression if people had been able to have the full experience of seeing it in a theater.

The conflict between Netflix and major cinemas continues even to this day, as AMC and Regal announced in 2019 that they would not include the film Roma in their Oscar showcase screenings, again citing Netflix's disinclination to withhold viewers' same-day streaming ability. The film is a semi-autobiographical drama inspired by writer-director Alfonso Cuaron's life in the Colonia Roma neighborhood of Mexico City in the early 1970s. The main character, Cleo, is an indigenous Mexican woman who works as a live-in maid for an affluent family against a backdrop of great socio-political turmoil. 

Despite the lack of support from major theaters, Roma went on to win a great deal of recognition at the Academy Awards, having been nominated for ten awards and ultimately winning three: Best Director, Best Foreign Language Film, and Best Cinematography. Obviously, not having an Oscar showcase run didn't hurt Roma in the eyes of the Academy.

Because of violence a little too close to home, a Wisconsin theater company chose not to screen the Slender Man film in its Milwaukee and Waukesha locations during the summer of 2018. As many netizens undoubtedly already know, Slender Man is a fictional character born out of a meme on the Something Awful forums in 2009, a cryptid for the modern world. In 2014, two 12-year-old Waukesha girls, allegedly in tribute to this fearsome fictional being, stabbed a friend 19 times, nearly killing her. 

Because of the severity and premeditated nature of the crime, the girls were tried as adults and charged with first-degree attempted homicide. Though the victim survived, this horrifying tragedy has surely left its mark on area citizens, who are likely baffled that such young girls could be motivated to cause such violence. The theater company chose to withhold the screening out of respect for the victim, and it's hard to fault them for that choice, given the circumstances.

Of course, religious fervor has always been a cause for controversy in art and media. Such was the case with Monty Python's religious satire, Life of Brian, wherein a young Jewish man who was born on the same day as Jesus Christ gets mistaken for the Messiah. Upon its release in 1979, it was actually banned in Ireland and Norway because of its blasphemous themes. 

The film itself sets out to criticize the misunderstandings and pitfalls of modern organized religion, not to lampoon anyone's faith in God or Jesus Christ. But as with the Beauty and the Beast situation, audiences and theater owners are happy to voice their own opinions on matters that affect their faith before even seeing the work in question — sometimes to their detriment, as Life of Brian went on to net an outstanding box office total stateside. The movie's legacy is secure, as proven by a 40th anniversary reissue with over 400 screenings across the United States and United Kingdom.

Most people have heard of Scarface, the 1983 film starring Al Pacino. But some may not know that it is, in fact, a remake of a 1932 film of the same name, loosely based on a novel that was itself inspired by the pre-eminent mobster of the decade, Al Capone. Though this original Scarface was already subject to Motion Picture Production Code censorship, it still faced controversy upon its release to the general public. Many Italian-Americans found the subject matter offensive, as Italian characters were almost exclusively relegated to harmful stereotypes of gangsters or bootleggers in films at the time. Scarface was banned in several cities and states, including Chicago, where it finally reached the big screen in 1941. 

There was also speculation that gangsters, including Al Capone himself, did not want the film to play in theaters because it was too revealing about their criminal business. Scarface was one of the films to inspire the creation of the Production Code Administration, whose job was to formally enforce the Motion Picture Production Code set up at the beginning of the decade. Over 50 years later, its remake would prove very successful, despite the graphic violence and pushback against the depictions of Cuban expats as criminals, echoing the unrest experienced by Italian-Americans back in the '30s.