10 Movies That Are Still Banned In 2024

Movies are banned in different countries worldwide for a variety of reasons, and some of these movie bans are still in place in 2024. This is likely because the movie promotes something specific the government or the general population of a country is against, or more broadly, depicts a story that goes against that country’s values. Less frequent today is the banning of a movie because of straightforward violent content, but banning movies because of sexual content still happens.

In general, the government cannot ban movies in the United States — it is also very uncommon in Western Europe — but it is not unheard of. People in these countries might be surprised to hear that a movie is banned elsewhere for mere seconds of footage. Historically, many movie bans have eventually been lifted, possibly with some scenes censored or strict audience age restrictions in place. Some banned movies are still recent enough that unbanning them has yet to come up. On the other hand, some have been banned for years and there is no indication that this has ever changed.

10
Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood And Honey (2023)

Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey is banned in Hong Kong, Macau, & presumably Mainland China.

The Disney horror remake Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey was released in 2023, following A.A. Milne’s characters and stories becoming public domain in 2022. Blood and Honey was not released in Hong Kong, Macau, and presumably Mainland China due to Winnie-the-Pooh being banned in China. According to BBC, “References to the original, family-friendly version of Winnie the Pooh have been used to protest against President Xi Jinping in recent years” and “Censors in China have since clamped down on references to AA Milne’s character.”

9
The Dark Knight (2008)

The Dark Knight is banned in Hong Kong.

In Narayan Liu’s words (via CBR), The Dark Knight is only “seemingly” banned in Hong Kong following the cancelation of a scheduled outdoor screening. Parts of the movie were even filmed in Hong Kong, primarily aerial shots of significant landmarks for Batman’s detour to the city. The alleged ban on the movie is due to its violence, which failed to pass new censorship laws. A statement from the Hong Kong government said that “the Film, Newspaper and Articles Management Office believes that the film contains violent content and the level is not suitable for outdoor broadcasting” (via Variety).

8
Lightyear (2022)

Lightyear is banned in many countries belonging to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

Lightyear is banned in many countries because of a brief on-screen kiss between two women. According to ABC, the movie was not allowed to be shown in “14 Middle Eastern and Asian countries,” noting that “Homosexuality is considered criminal in many Middle Eastern countries.” With Disney and Pixar slowly incorporating more LGBTQ+ characters, other throwaway moments like this have resulted in movies being banned. This includes Pixar’s Onward, due to a casual reference to a queer relationship.

The United States was also affected by considered censorship in this case. Disney executives allegedly considered removing this moment from Lightyear but kept it following protests by Pixar employees. This movement was “part of a larger protest over [Disney’s] lack of public response to Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill” (via Variety).

7
Jojo Rabbit (2019)

Jojo Rabbit is banned in Russia.

The Best Picture nominee Jojo Rabbit is supposedly banned in Russia for vague reasons. According to meduza.io:

“Twentieth Century Fox’s branch for the Commonwealth of Independent States has reported to the Russian film news outlet Kinoreporter that the company does not plan to distribute Taika Waititi’s film Jojo Rabbit in Russia. Twentieth Century Fox did not explain the reasoning behind that decision.”

However, this may have been due to the movie’s comedic depiction of Hitler and the Nazis, which is intended to ridicule them. There is no indication that Jojo Rabbit was ever available in any form in Russia following its release.

6
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse (2023)

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is banned in several countries in the Middle East.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the follow-up to the equally successful first Spider-Verse movie, is banned in several countries due to allusions to trans pride. It has been speculated that Gwen Stacy, a deuteragonist of the movie, is trans because a trans flag decorated with the words “Protect Trans Kids” is briefly seen in her room. Her father also wears a trans pin on his police uniform. The Hollywood Reporter reported that “Regulators in the [UAE] have loosened censorship laws in recent years but there are still strict guidelines that international and local content must adhere to ‘local customs and values.'”

5
American Sniper (2015)

American Sniper is banned in Iraq.

There has been no news on American Sniper’s status in Iraq since several outlets reported it being pulled from a movie theater in Baghdad, “the only theater that had chosen to show the film,” according to CBS. Reportedly, “the decision followed a few ‘rowdy’ screenings and growing complaints from both moviegoers and the Iraqi government.” The movie was deemed to be insulting to the Iraqi population, focusing on a U.S. Navy S.E.A.L. sniper’s tour of Iraq and his coping with PTSD after returning to the United States.

4
Beauty And The Beast (2017)

Beauty and the Beast is banned in Kuwait.

The live-action remake Beauty and the Beast controversy concerning the character LeFou is well-known, because of a split-second moment between LeFou and another man implying a future relationship. Russia ultimately decided to allow the movie to be shown only to audiences 16 years old or older (via CBC). An Alabama theater refused to show the movie, which was widely reported at the time (via TIME). Kuwait ended up being the only territory to completely ban the new Beauty and the Beast, as reported by The Washington Post.

3
Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

Cannibal Holocaust is banned in Iceland & New Zealand.

The notorious Cannibal Holocaust is possibly the oldest continuously banned movie there is. The movie was banned at different points in time for different durations in Australia, Norway, Finland, Iceland, New Zealand, Singapore, the U.K. (it was notably on the U.K.’s “Video Nasties” list), and the U.S. for its depictions of extreme violence, cannibalism, and animal cruelty (via SlashFilm). The movie is apparently still banned in New Zealand and Iceland. The Cannibal Holocaust controversy still stands out as one of the most divisive moments of the 1980s Italian horror industry.

2
Barbie (2023)

Barbie is banned in Algeria, Kuwait, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, & Vietnam.

Barbie was banned in a multitude of countries for vaguely defined reasons. When the initial push came to ban the movie in Lebanon and Kuwait, Lebanon’s culture minister, Mohammad Mortada “said screening Barbie […] would ‘contradict values of faith and morality’ and ‘promote homosexuality'” (via L.A. Times). Barbie does not include any explicit references to LGBTQ+ rights, but some scenes might be interpreted as being queer-coded. Kuwait’s officials eventually announced in a statement that they were banning the movie because of its “ideas and beliefs that are alien to the Kuwaiti society and public order” (via Forbes).

However, Vietnam banned the movie over what Warner Bros. defended (via Forbes) as a “child-like” drawing of a map “that appeared to show China’s contested territorial claims in the South China Sea.” Meanwhile, Russia is the only country to ban Oppenheimer as well, making it the only country to ban Barbenheimer as a whole. Deputy Culture Minister Andrei Malyshev said (via politico.eu) that both Barbie and Oppenheimer were banned for “not [meeting] the aims and objectives set out by the head of state, [and] to preserve and strengthen traditional Russian spiritual and moral values.”

1
The Da Vinci Code (2006)

The Da Vinci Code is banned in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, & the Vatican City.

The Da Vinci Code is banned in many countries, including the independent state of the Vatican City, due to its divisive depictions of Christianity’s origins. Part of the Christian community in the movie itself views the conspiracy that Tom Hanks’ character is trying to uncover as an undesirable upheaval. The sequel Angels & Demons takes place at the Vatican, forcing the director to find alternative ways to recreate this setting when they were not allowed to film there (via The Guardian). The filmmakers’ next actions here stand out among most other cases of banned movies.