Advertising posters for The Mummy have been pulled from public spaces after the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority decided the imagery could be upsetting for children in areas where they were likely to encounter it.
The decision arrives four months after the film opened in cinemas on April 17. Critical reaction was mixed, and the movie currently holds a 45 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, though audiences have been more receptive with a 77 percent audience score. The film grossed approximately $90 million worldwide on a $22 million production budget.
Regulators received a number of complaints about the campaign used to promote the horror title and later ruled that the poster should no longer appear in public outdoor locations.
“In any case, we considered the image was likely to distress young children, and that it was unsuitable for display where it was likely to be seen by them. We therefore concluded that the ads were unsuitable for outdoor display and therefore breached the code.”
The watchdog said the image amounted to a realistic portrayal of a dead child. In total, 30 complaints were made after one of the posters appeared on an outdoor billboard close to the London Underground.
Warner Bros responded after the ruling, saying the campaign was never meant to cause fear or distress.
“due responsibility to consumers and society”
The artwork showed a close-up of a girl-like figure with a mummified face and one eye visibly swollen shut.
“Some things are meant to stay buried.”
The studio also maintained that the character shown was not a dead child, but a living mummy who had been reunited with her parents as a teenager years after being abducted.
The ASA added that although the posters were not displayed within 100 metres of any schools, one of the billboards could still be seen from a children’s nursery.
Lee Cronin directed the film, which was produced by James Wan, Jason Blum and John Keville. The film follows a family confronted by a terrifying return.
“The young daughter of a journalist disappears into the desert without a trace.
“Eight years later, the broken family is shocked when she’s returned to them. However, what should be a joyful reunion soon turns into a living nightmare as she starts to transform into something truly horrifying.”
The film became available on streaming platforms, with the movie arriving on HBO Max on July 3 after its theatrical run ended.