45 movies that were banned in cinemas around the world, from 300 to Shrek 2

Jacob Stolworthy
·1-min read

Since the dawn of time – well, the start of cinema – many films have been banned in certain countries due to various reasons.

Thanks to strict laws or conflicting beliefs, censors from all around the world – China, Ireland, Lebanon, to name just a few – continue to work hard determining whether new releases are fit to be screened in cinemas.

While some titles, including graphic horror films The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Human Centipede 2, get banned for obvious reasons, there is a long history of unexpected features – such as Disney releases and inoffensive superhero films – that failed to make the cut.

Below is a roundup of the 45 films you never realised were banned – from The Lady of Heaven to Beauty and The Beast – and the reasons why.

Scroll through the gallery to see what made the list.

45 films you never realised were banned

45 films you never knew realised were banned:
45 films you never knew realised were banned:
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930): The ban on All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) was ordered in Germany by Adolf Hitler himself who disliked its anti-war message. This came after an initial run during which members of the Nazi Party disrupted screenings by releasing mice into the cinema and, at one stage, attacking Jewish audience members. Censors in Austria, Australia, Italy and France also banned the film in the early 1930s. (Universal Pictures)
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930): The ban on All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) was ordered in Germany by Adolf Hitler himself who disliked its anti-war message. This came after an initial run during which members of the Nazi Party disrupted screenings by releasing mice into the cinema and, at one stage, attacking Jewish audience members. Censors in Austria, Australia, Italy and France also banned the film in the early 1930s. (Universal Pictures)
American Sniper (2015): Many might find Clint Eastwood's American Sniper (2015) to be something of an insult, but Iran banned the war drama – based on the life of the US military's deadliest marksman – for being just that. Censors deemed it
American Sniper (2015): Many might find Clint Eastwood's American Sniper (2015) to be something of an insult, but Iran banned the war drama – based on the life of the US military's deadliest marksman – for being just that. Censors deemed it
Apocalypse Now (1979): The anti-war sentiment present in Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now saw the film banned under President Park Chung-hee's regime in 1979. (United Artists)
Apocalypse Now (1979): The anti-war sentiment present in Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now saw the film banned under President Park Chung-hee's regime in 1979. (United Artists)
Argo (2012): Ben Affleck's Best Picture-winning 2012 drama Argo was banned in Iran due to its negative portrayal of the country. (Warner Bros Pictures)
Argo (2012): Ben Affleck's Best Picture-winning 2012 drama Argo was banned in Iran due to its negative portrayal of the country. (Warner Bros Pictures)
Battleship Potemkin (1925): Finnish censors believed that Sergei Eisenstein's 1925 Soviet silent film Battleship Potemkin would incite a Communist revolution, so gave the film an outright ban. (Goskino)
Battleship Potemkin (1925): Finnish censors believed that Sergei Eisenstein's 1925 Soviet silent film Battleship Potemkin would incite a Communist revolution, so gave the film an outright ban. (Goskino)
Beauty and the Beast (2017): Disney's live-action remake of its 1991 classic was banned in Kuwait due to homosexual references involving the character LeFou (Josh Gad). It evaded a ban in Russia after being slapped with a 16+ age certificate and in Malaysia after having the references cut altogether. (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Beauty and the Beast (2017): Disney's live-action remake of its 1991 classic was banned in Kuwait due to homosexual references involving the character LeFou (Josh Gad). It evaded a ban in Russia after being slapped with a 16+ age certificate and in Malaysia after having the references cut altogether. (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Ben-Hur (1959): China banned William Wyler's religious epic Ben-Hur in 1959 under the regime of Mao Zedong for containing
Ben-Hur (1959): China banned William Wyler's religious epic Ben-Hur in 1959 under the regime of Mao Zedong for containing
Borat (2006): It turns out there are some people who don't find Sacha Baron Cohen that funny, notably officials in all Arab countries (except Lebanon) who banned his 2006 comedy Borat for being
Borat (2006): It turns out there are some people who don't find Sacha Baron Cohen that funny, notably officials in all Arab countries (except Lebanon) who banned his 2006 comedy Borat for being
Brief Encounter (1945): Officials in the Catholic country of Ireland found David Lean's romantic drama Brief Encounter to be too accepting of adultery to be shown in cinemas. (Eagle-Lion Distributors)
Brief Encounter (1945): Officials in the Catholic country of Ireland found David Lean's romantic drama Brief Encounter to be too accepting of adultery to be shown in cinemas. (Eagle-Lion Distributors)
Brokeback Mountain (2005): The homosexual relationship at the centre of Ang Lee's 2005 drama Brokeback Mountain saw the film banned in all Arab countries bar Lebanon, where it was released in a censored format. (Focus Features)
Brokeback Mountain (2005): The homosexual relationship at the centre of Ang Lee's 2005 drama Brokeback Mountain saw the film banned in all Arab countries bar Lebanon, where it was released in a censored format. (Focus Features)