Posters for Lee Cronin’s film The Mummy have been banned from areas where children might see them after regulators ruled they showed a realistic depiction of a dead child.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received 30 complaints regarding the promotional campaign, which featured posters on the London Underground and on outdoor billboards.
Many complainants argued the imagery was distressing for both children and adults.
Warner Bros defended the campaign, stating it had been prepared with “due responsibility to consumers and society” and was not designed to create fear or offence.
The poster shows a close-up image of a female figure with a mummified appearance, sunken features and one eye swollen shut, alongside the tagline: “Some things are meant to stay buried.”
The distributor explained that the character depicted was a “living mummy” who was returned to her parents as a young adult, many years after having been kidnapped as a child.
It argued that the poster used a neutral facial expression while avoiding elements of violence or intimidation to reduce any risk of distress.
Warner Bros added that the design had been cleared by Transport for London’s advertising partner, Global, for display across the London Underground network.
However, the ASA upheld the complaints regarding the outdoor and Underground posters.
The watchdog noted that the figure’s grey, ashen skin, cracked lips and fixed, vacant expression combined to give a “realistic impression of a dead child”.
The ASA stated: “Because the figure had recognisable human features, we considered that viewers were likely to understand it as a realistic depiction of a dead child.”
The Mummy poster has been banned from the London Underground and billboards [PA Media]
It added that although Warner Bros confirmed adverts were not placed within 100 metres (328ft) of any school, one billboard was directly visible from a children’s nursery.
The regulator concluded: “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.”
Complaints about the They Will Kill You film were rejected by the ASA [PA Media]
Complaints regarding television and live streaming service adverts for the film were not upheld by the regulator, as Clearcast – which pre-approves TV and streaming ads – had applied a post-19:30 scheduling restriction.
The ASA also rejected separate complaints about posters and television adverts for another Warner Bros horror film, They Will Kill You.
Around 20 complainants had argued that those adverts glamorised violence and knife crime, but the watchdog ruled the imagery was highly stylised and clearly reflected the fictional nature of the film.
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