Should These Movies Have Been Banned?
Movies get banned for all kinds of reasons—and some of those reasons are better than others. Here are some movies you might not have realized got banned.
Barbie - Banned in Algeria, Kuwait, Lebanon, Vietnam, and Others
Barbie was a billion dollar phenomenon—and it did it without audiences in Algeria, Kuwait, Lebanon, or Vietnam.
Algeria gave no reason, Kuwait called it "alien to Kuwaiti society," Lebanon considered it against "values of faith and morality," and Vietnam took issue with the lines on a map in one of the scenes.
Oppenheimer - Banned In Russia
The reason given for Oppenheimer's ban in Russia was that it did not adhere to "traditional values". The same reason was given for banning Barbie, so it must have been a really slow Barbenheimer weekend in Moscow.
Universal Pictures, Oppenheimer (2023)
Minions: The Rise of Gru - Banned in Lebanon
No reason was given for why Lebanon banned Minions: The Rise of Gru. My money is it's because of the scene where two minions kiss.
Universal, Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022)
The Simpsons Movie - Banned in Myanmar
Bet you won't guess this one! Myanmar banned The Simpsons Movie for the "juxtaposition of the colors yellow and red".
In Myanmar, those colors could be seen as supporting rebel groups, so no Spider-Pig for them.
Abominable - Banned In Vietnam
Abominable is a harmless animated kids movie about an abominable snowman—there's just one problem. The movie shows a representation of the "nine-dash line" that marks China's claim over the South China Sea.
Vietnam contests the nine-dash line—and so they contested Abominable too.
Borat - Banned in Kazakhstan
Borat's representation of Kazakhstani culture as antisemitic and misogynist was enough to get it banned in the Kazakhstan—but they later used the catchphrase "Very Nice" in a tourism campaign. That's sending mixed signals!
teh_defiance, Wikimedia Commons
Every Non-North Korean Movie - Banned In North Korea
All foreign films have been banned in North Korea since 1948—BUT, in 2010, state television did broadcast Bend It Like Beckham once—albeit edited down to half its original runtime.
Monty Python's The Life Of Brian - Banned in Norway
Norway may have banned The Life of Brian for jokes deemed offensive to religious people, but that only helped the movie in Sweden, where it was marketed as "The film so funny that it got banned in Norway".
HandMade Films, Life of Brian (1979)
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey - Banned In China, Hong Kong, and Macau
Winnie-the-Pooh is banned in China due to the character's resemblance to General Secretary Xi Jinping—so 2023's Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey got the banhammer as well.
Walt Disney, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) - Banned in Australia
Australian censors simply could not abide by the content of The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence). We're not usually big on censorship but...ok this one gets a pass.
Six Entertainment, The Human Centipede 2
A Clockwork Orange - Banned in many countries, notably Brazil
A Clockwork Orange is a shocking film, it's no surprise that it has been banned—but Brazil's "solution" was interesting. After several years banned, a censored version was released in 1978 with black polka dots painted over all explicit images.
Warner Bros, A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Ben-Hur - Banned in all Arab League states
Because it featured Israeli actress Haya Harareet, the original Ben-Hur was banned in all Arab League states.
The Last Temptation Of Christ - Banned in Singapore and the Philippines
Banned in many countries upon its release due to its controversial version of the story of Christ, most of the world has since lifted the ban on the Martin Scorsese film—but you still can't see it in Singapore or the Philippines.
Universal, The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom - Banned in nearly every country in the world
The Marquis de Sade wrote Salò to shock and offend. The 1975 film of the same name was made for the same reason. We can't explain what happens in it...but lets just say it's no surprise it's still banned in half the world.
The Kingdom - Banned in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia
Persian Gulf countries took issue with what they deemed an inaccurate depiction of a 1996 attack in Saudia Arabia in Peter Berg's 2007 film The Kingdom and they banned the film because of it.
Goldfinger - Banned in Israel
Censors in Israel heard that Gert Fröbe, who played Goldfinger himself in the James Bond Classic, was a member of the Nazi party, they banned the film. But wait, there's a twist!
It was later revealed that Fröbe, who left the party, saved a Jewish man and his mother by hiding them in his basement, so the ban was lifted
Eon Productions, Goldfinger (1964)
Noah - Banned in Muslim Countries
Many Muslim countries banned Darren Aronovsky's 2014 epic Noah due to its depiction Noah, a prophet in the Quran—but they couldn't stop the movie from becoming a box office hit.
Lightyear - Banned in Muslim Countries
Remember Lightyear? Chris Evans played the character that the character Buzz Lightyear was based on. Well, you definitely didn't see it if you live in a Muslim nation, all of which banned the film for a brief scene where two women kiss.
Kingsman: The Golden Circle - Banned in Cambodia
In one scene of Kingsman: The Golden Circle, the antagonists set up base in Cambodia's Ta Prohm temple. To Cambodian censors, this constituted "representing Cambodia in a negative light" and they banned the film.
Twentieth Century Fox, Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)
Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay - Banned in Cuba
This one I'm sure you can figure out on your own...
New Line Cinema, Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay (2008)
Funny Girl - Banned in Egypt and other Muslim Countries
The relationship between the Jewish Barbra Streisand and the Muslim Omar Sharif in Funny Girl was controversial as it is—but at the height of tensions between Egypt and Israel, it was enough to get the movie banned.
Columbia pictures, Funny Girl (1968)
The Da Vinci Code - Banned in at least 15 countries
Somehow, The Da Vinci Code was considered even more controversial than The Last Temptation of Christ, apparently.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - Banned Egypt
If you're an Egyptian fan of lesbian super hero America Chavez, I've got terrible news for you: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was banned in Egypt purely because of Chavez's inclusion.
Marvel, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
The Dark Knight - Banned in Hong Kong
The Dark Knight has a pretty noticeable scene in Hong Kong. They actually filmed there, and authorities were obviously ok with at first—but after the movie came out, they changed their tune and decided to have it banned.
Zoolander - Banned in Iran
It's hard to see Ben Stiller's Zoolander inspiring social unrest and revolution, but Iranian censors decided that it "promoted sexuality" and banned its release.
300 - Banned In Iran
The story of the 300 Spartans doesn't exactly portray Persians in the best light, and Zack Snyder's 300 turned them into cinematic monsters. Unsurprising that Iran—modern-day Persia—took issue with it.
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut - Banned Iraq
Saddam Hussein is a major character in the South Park movie, and if you've seen it...you probably understand why the movie was banned.
Paramount, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)
Zack And Miri Make A P*rno - Banned in Thailand
Kevin Smith's raunchy comedy isn't a surprising choice for a ban, but Thai censors specifically banned it because they thought it might inspire teens to do the same thing.
The Weinstein Company, Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)
Hostel - Banned in Ukraine
Ukrainian censors objected to Hostel's portrayal of Eastern Europe as a place where tourists are tormented for pleasure. Well, I can see how it would be bad for tourism...
