From shocking violence to unsettling themes, these films pushed audiences to their limits. Join us as we explore the most controversial movies that caused massive theater walkouts. We'll delve into the scenes and content that proved too much for many viewers, sparking outrage, physical reactions, and heated debates.
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00:00May I come in?
00:02I'd like to see a police badge.
00:06Well, so would I.
00:08Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most controversial movies that caused massive theater walkouts.
00:16After this sort of thing, how do people manage to look at a car, let alone drive one?
00:22Number 30, Joker Folie à Deux.
00:24Forget your troubles, come on, get happy.
00:30Better chase all your cares away.
00:35Sing hallelujah, come on, get happy.
00:39Many sequels don't achieve the same success as the first installment, either at the box office or with critics and audiences.
00:45But this follow-up to 2019's hit Joker received a backlash beyond just being a disappointing sequel.
00:51Many ticket buyers didn't know that the film is a musical, and they were not happy when they found out.
00:56So you're saying it's not about us?
00:58It is, but we're singing for them.
01:02That's why we're here, honey.
01:04Oh, because I got the sneaky suspicion that we're not giving the people what they want.
01:09Even people who enjoy musicals were frustrated by the execution of the numbers.
01:13Folie à Deux's attempts to subvert and deconstruct typical comic book tropes also angered fans of the original Joker.
01:19It proved too much for many in the audience.
01:22But if you stay, I'll make you a day like no day has been.
01:31Number 29, Crimes of the Future.
01:33So, darling, can you wake up?
01:37Who's here?
01:39It's just me. It's Caprice.
01:43Did you sleep?
01:46I think this bed needs new software.
01:52Directed by David Cronenberg, this sci-fi horror film got a polarizing reception when it premiered at Cannes.
01:58Earning both mass departures and a seven-minute standing ovation,
02:02the film is set in a future in which human biology has drastically changed.
02:06Performance artist Saul Tencer has the ability to grow new organs,
02:10and he and his partner Caprice do a stage routine that includes surgically removing the organs.
02:15Our records indicate that you've been producing random and novel bodily organs for some years,
02:20but that you've had them consistently removed.
02:26Who wouldn't?
02:30You'd be surprised.
02:32We would be surprised. They're basically tumors, right?
02:35Who would want to keep them?
02:37It only gets weirder from there, with Tencer's ability becoming a point of arousal for some characters.
02:42Let's just leave it at that.
02:44Suffice it to say, this dark satire on cosmetic surgery is hard to stomach.
02:48No pun intended.
02:50The woman, Timlyn, she's especially creepy.
02:57I thought she was rather attractive.
02:59In a bureaucratic way.
03:02Number 28, L'Aventura.
03:04Cannes has been kind to this drama directed by Michelangelo Antonioni,
03:07which has become a critical darling and one of the most influential arthouse films.
03:11However, at the time, it received outright boos at Cannes.
03:15The film follows Anna and her friend's trip to Rome to meet her boyfriend Sandro.
03:19When Anna mysteriously disappears, Sandro and her friend Claudia investigate.
03:23No doubt, the film's slow pacing and lack of adherence to cinematic conventions divided early audiences.
03:29The movie's ending also led to disappointment.
03:32Still, L'Aventura consistently ranks high on Best Film Lists,
03:35including Sight & Sound's Top 10 Greatest Films Ever Made.
03:39Number 27, Blue Is The Warmest Color.
03:42Pizza.
03:49Alors?
03:51C'est bien?
03:53Maintenant?
03:55Tu veux pas le laisser?
03:57Attends, vas-y.
03:59Je pense que c'est un peu dégueu.
04:01This controversial coming-of-age love story had not only many in the audience leaving,
04:05but also scandals breaking.
04:07Based on a graphic novel, the film follows introverted high schooler Adele
04:11who falls in love with aspiring painter Emma,
04:13and the couple's ups, downs, and eventual breakup.
04:33The long intimate scenes, however, caused major controversy,
04:36and not just for their explicitness.
04:38Lesbian audiences were reported laughing at the unrealistic scenes,
04:42feeling they bordered on the ridiculous.
04:44The author of the graphic novel, Jules Marot, also disapproved,
04:48calling the love scenes, quote,
04:51The film went on to win the Palme d'Or,
04:53and it has many fans, but the controversy still continues.
05:08Number 26, Baskin.
05:38Police officers answer a call to an abandoned building.
05:41It's a simple premise that belies the real ordeal of watching this Turkish film.
05:45Directed by Can Evreno,
05:47Baskin takes body horror to its limits,
05:49including gnarled hands,
05:51squishy intestines,
05:53and meat on hooks.
05:54Lots of it.
05:55We won't go into any further detail.
06:08Suffice it to say,
06:09the extreme gore prompted a big chunk of the audience to flee,
06:13from its uncomfortable prologue to its final twist.
06:16The audience exodus didn't hurt the film's home box office ultimately,
06:19but for those with weak stomachs,
06:22there's a good reason to stay away.
06:33Number 25, The Brown Bunny.
06:39She's had that bunny rabbit a long time.
06:44That's the cutest bunny.
06:49Where do you live now?
06:50I live in Los Angeles.
06:52Daisy and I live together in Los Angeles.
06:56We have a small house.
06:57Directed by and starring Vincent Gallo,
07:00this film about a motorcycle racer on a cross-country trip
07:03premiered at Cannes to a lot of jeering.
07:05The film overall received mixed reviews and outright pans.
07:09Why the fuss?
07:10There is an explicit sex scene performed by actress Chloe Sevigny on Gallo
07:14that was controversial,
07:15as it appeared to be completely unsimulated.
07:18Hi, Bud.
07:21I got your note.
07:26I have to use the bathroom.
07:27There was also a very public feud between Gallo and critic Roger Ebert.
07:31Ebert panned the movie as the worst that ever premiered at Cannes.
07:34And Gallo responded with insults.
07:36Since then, The Brown Bunny has gained a bit of a cult following.
07:40Even Ebert revised his opinion when he saw the re-edit.
07:43All's well that ends well.
07:45Can I hug you, Bud?
07:54Can I sit on your lap?
07:59Can I touch you?
08:00Number 24, The Neon Demon.
08:03What about you?
08:07What about me?
08:12Are you food?
08:16Or are you sex?
08:22It's just dessert.
08:23A 16-year-old aspiring fashion model gets her big break in L.A.,
08:26only to get sucked into a nightmarish situation rife with abuse and even murder.
08:31Directed by Nicholas Winding Refn,
08:33this satire of the beauty and fashion industry proved to be a mixed bag for audiences.
08:37You're still here.
08:40How did it go?
08:43It went good.
08:45It was great, actually.
08:48Did he say anything?
08:52My agency said if the pictures turned out good,
08:54he might consider them for an editorial.
08:56The film premiered to an overwhelmingly negative reception at Cannes,
08:59with boos, walkouts, and even outright yelling at the screen.
09:03Some critics also felt the blend of social commentary and supernatural horror
09:07did not gel as well as it should.
09:09Either way, it proved too much to bear for a lot of people.
09:13Sarah doesn't let just anyone walk his collection.
09:17I don't think I'm his type.
09:19Why not?
09:21You're very masculine.
09:25I bet they made you do the casting.
09:29I didn't have to.
09:31I just come in and choose what I want to wear.
09:35You recognize her?
09:38That's Gabrielle.
09:41You saw her right outside the door there.
09:44No, not that one. The other Crash.
09:46Another entry from provocateur director David Cronenberg.
09:49This Canadian erotic film follows a couple in an open marriage
09:52who are aroused by recounting their extramarital encounters.
09:56This culminates in husband James having an affair with car crash victim Helen
10:00and developing a unique fetish for car wrecks in general.
10:03You had sex with all those men in cars?
10:06All-night in cars?
10:09Yes, I didn't plan it that way.
10:11You have to see it to believe it.
10:13Indeed, those who saw it could not believe it, storming out of the theater.
10:17The graphic sex scenes were undoubtedly part of the reason,
10:20but perhaps Cronenberg's clinical direction was also alienating.
10:24Your mileage may vary, no pun intended.
10:27I'm sure we see this again in slow motion.
10:31Closer, I mean.
10:33In detail.
10:35You can watch another tape.
10:37You brought lots of tapes.
10:38No, no, I know this tape.
10:40I know this tape.
10:41Number 22, a Serbian film.
10:55This is an exploitation horror film to end all exploitation horror films.
11:00Aging adult film star Miloš agrees to a starring role in an arthouse film,
11:04but he soon discovers the film has horrific themes,
11:07which include drugs and shocking violations of a physical and sexual nature.
11:18A Serbian film's transgressive imagery was so difficult to watch
11:21that it was banned in several countries.
11:23Some critics even consider it the most disturbing movie ever made.
11:27The film's director defended the film as a political allegory,
11:30but one thing's for sure, it's an allegory that will haunt anyone who sees it.
11:35Number 21, the house that Jack built.
12:05I, time and again, have to be put in these situations.
12:09I don't know why.
12:11Directed by Lars von Trier,
12:12this horror film about a serial killer named Jack
12:15premiered at Cannes to massive outrage and controversy.
12:18It follows Jack on a journey through hell,
12:20during which he recounts his years of disgusting deeds.
12:23There is the killing of human beings, including children,
12:26which is hard to stomach as it is.
12:28The scene depicting animal cruelty triggered a storm of consternation as well.
12:32You're not just gonna leave me here.
12:34In fact, yes, that is kind of what I was thinking.
12:39I'm sure there'll be another serial killer passing by
12:42who can give you a lift back to Sonny's.
12:46That is, unless he decides to kill you first.
12:50Riley Keough's character's mutilation also led to several audience members departing.
12:55The ending was satisfying for some of those who stayed,
12:58but cold comfort for others.
13:00Hit the road, Jack.
13:01You call that screaming?
13:04Help!
13:06Help!
13:09Help!
13:10Yes!
13:11Help!
13:12There's a murderer in the building!
13:15It's Mr. Sophistication!
13:20If they were good men, how could their beloved emperor find them guilty?
13:23Do the words erotic historical drama get you excited?
13:27No?
13:28Unfortunately for this film,
13:29its strange concept was not the only thing it had working against it.
13:33They were appalled.
13:37I do hope so.
13:38In spite of featuring performances from Malcolm McDowell,
13:41Helen Mirren and Peter O'Toole,
13:43apart for which he was praised,
13:44the film was heavily criticized for its violence
13:47and for featuring unsimulated sex throughout.
13:50If you're wondering who specifically walked out of this one,
13:53the answer is Roger Ebert himself,
13:56who described the film as, quote,
13:59Although considered a cult classic by some,
14:02the film is still divisive to this day.
14:11The first rule of Fight Club is you do not talk about Fight Club.
14:15The second rule of Fight Club is you do not talk about Fight Club.
14:21If Fight Club is anything, it's provocative.
14:24If Fight Club is anything, it's provocative.
14:27It bizarrely manages to strike a balance
14:29between pavement-level grounded and borderline absurd,
14:32all while deftly telling the story of a man
14:35who's been pushed over the edge of societal norms
14:37to break with reality.
14:39What are we doing tonight?
14:41Tonight?
14:42We make soap.
14:44A movie like that's pretty weird,
14:46and needless to say, not everyone got it.
14:49As if that wasn't bizarre enough,
14:51the scenes of raw animalistic violence
14:53and something about getting covered in human fat
14:55were enough to push people over the edge.
14:58Fight Club's awesome, it's just not for everyone.
15:08Leo worked hard for his Oscar,
15:10and Alejandro G. Iñárritu is a genius,
15:13but The Revenant is pretty much just
15:15two and a half hours of a guy trying not to die.
15:18It's a harrowing journey that explores the limits of a man
15:21and how far he'll go to not only survive,
15:24but also to take revenge.
15:26It has a couple of scenes that are hard to watch,
15:28but the real kicker is the bear attack scene,
15:30which, like the rest of the film,
15:32strives for realism in the most gut-wrenching fashion possible.
15:35For some, watching a bear rip into Leonardo DiCaprio
15:39was just too much.
15:51That is the question people ask me most.
15:53In 1974, Philippe Petit performed the daring feat
15:57of walking on a high wire between the two towers of the World Trade Center.
16:01The 2015 film The Walk tried to capture this feat,
16:04and to do so, shot the film in IMAX 3D.
16:07Alright, you get him. I got your back.
16:10The cinematography expertly captured the sensation
16:13of tightrope walking a quarter mile above the ground,
16:16which, while impressive,
16:18is not what some audience members were expecting.
16:20Those who were not wholly comfortable with heights
16:23found the movie to be a tough watch,
16:25with many reporting motion sickness as the feat was performed.
16:28I'm going to hang a high wire between the two towers of the World Trade Center
16:32and walk on it.
16:38Tell us a story from before we can remember.
16:41At the 2011 Cannes Film Festival,
16:43The Tree of Life was met with both boos and applause,
16:46and went on to win the festival's illustrious Palme d'Or award.
16:49Needless to say, critics were divided.
17:00As were audiences.
17:02One of the film's stars, Sean Penn,
17:04stated that he did not find the same beauty and emotion in the final film
17:07as he did in the script,
17:09in no small part thanks to the film's convoluted narrative.
17:12While ambitious, and by some accounts a masterpiece,
17:15many audience members just wanted a movie
17:17they could sit down with some popcorn and enjoy.
17:31In telling the story of Jesus dying for the sins of humanity,
17:34The Passion of the Christ is understandably brutal.
17:37Mel Gibson's desire to bring to life the suffering endured by Christ
17:41was off-putting to some audiences,
17:43as it spares no details with the lashing,
17:46the beating,
17:47the crown of thorns,
17:48and the crucifixion itself.
17:57One woman actually experienced a fatal heart attack
18:00while watching the climactic scene of the film.
18:02Needless to say,
18:03if you were looking for something to compliment your Sunday school lesson,
18:06this might not be it.
18:14Number 14. A Clockwork Orange
18:22Back in 1971, audiences were not ready
18:25for the maniacal breed of ultraviolence
18:27that Alex and his droogs offered up in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange.
18:30If it wasn't the savage beating,
18:32the vicious fights,
18:33or assaults,
18:34audiences were severely put off by the stylization
18:37that some critics might argue glamorizes such violence.
18:44Those who stayed to watch the end of the film
18:47were rewarded with a discussion of free will
18:49and humanity's baser instincts in a modern society,
18:52but it was understandably a little much for some.
19:03Number 13. Pink Flamingos
19:08John Waters created Pink Flamingos
19:10as his first entry into his Trash Trilogy.
19:12With the tagline,
19:13an exercise in poor taste,
19:15this now cult film was an ode to the counterculture of its day
19:19and made a deliberate effort to push its audience as far as it could.
19:29The film focuses on a drag queen known as
19:31quote,
19:32the filthiest person alive.
19:35We'll see who's the filthiest person alive.
19:38We'll just see!
19:40If the nudity and profanity
19:42wasn't enough to throw an audience's day off,
19:44those who stayed to the end got to see the main character eating,
19:47well, you'll actually have to see that for yourself.
19:49Filth is my politics, filth is my life!
19:52Number 12. Swiss Army Man
19:54This is you.
19:56This is your body.
19:58The response to Swiss Army Man
20:00at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival
20:02was sort of a two-part process.
20:04At first, screenings of the surrealist comedy
20:06had to turn audiences away from packed viewing rooms,
20:09that is, until the film actually started.
20:12Then it became more of a challenge to keep audiences in their seats,
20:15as many decided that a film starring Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame
20:19as a farting corpse was just too much for them to handle.
20:22To be fair,
20:23there has also been positive critical appraisal of Swiss Army Man,
20:27but that mattered little to audience members
20:29who preferred to hit the bricks.
20:31Okay, buddy.
20:34Number 11. Antichrist
20:36There is nothing atypical about your grief.
20:39Lars von Trier is no stranger to cinematic controversy,
20:42and the arthouse horror flick Antichrist is one such example.
20:46Why he decided scenes where both Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg
20:50have their nether regions altered in particularly gruesome fashion
20:53were absolutely necessary is anyone's guess.
20:56Audiences and critics varied between obsession and repulsion
20:59at the end results of von Trier's work,
21:01with many screenings of the film being notable for members of the audience
21:04just not being able to handle the horror Antichrist set on screen.
21:08Apparently not.
21:09Number 10. 127 Hours
21:17127 Hours was a biopic from Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle
21:21about canyoneer Aaron Ralston,
21:23who became headline news for a harrowing situation
21:26that left him trapped for days between a rock and a hard place.
21:29The film came to a head during a pivotal scene
21:31where Ralston, played by James Franco,
21:33is forced to amputate his arm in order to free himself from a huge boulder.
21:46The scene is extremely graphic,
21:48and sent many audience members into a panic,
21:50with some theaters reporting vomiting and fainting.
21:53This is something you might expect from a horror film,
21:55but maybe not so much from a film that was marketed as quote
21:58a triumphant true story.
22:07Number 9. Raw
22:09The French-Belgian horror film Raw raised eyebrows
22:12with its realistic and disturbing portrayal of on-screen cannibalism.
22:16The film describes the descent into madness
22:18of a vegetarian college student who is hazed and forced into eating raw rabbit.
22:23It's after this traumatic incident that she develops a taste for violence and human flesh,
22:27and it's these scenes that reportedly sent audiences into physical panic,
22:32with some becoming ill in the theater,
22:34passing out or otherwise running the hell away
22:36from what was clearly a successfully horrific film.
22:47Number 8. Pulp Fiction
22:54Today, fans of Quentin Tarantino have grown to expect
22:57and appreciate the filmmaker's relationship with on-screen violence.
23:00This wasn't exactly the case back in the early 90s,
23:03as evidenced by the powerful response to two of Tarantino's early features,
23:07Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs.
23:09Tarantino himself told The Guardian in 2017
23:12how he quote,
23:17Pulp Fiction didn't fare much better,
23:19with some audiences,
23:20perhaps unused to Tarantino's stylized vision and emphatic violence,
23:24walking out of theaters in protest.
23:33The film was even booed at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival
23:36by audiences who felt that it wasn't deserving of the Palme d'Or,
23:39the festival's highest honor.
23:41Number 7. Irreversible
23:43Gaspard Noé is like many other directors on this list,
23:47in that he's unafraid of exploring even the most disturbing of subject matters
23:51within his search for artistic expression.
23:53Case in point,
23:54the brutal and unflinching assault scene in Noé's 2002 film,
23:58Irreversible,
23:59which had audiences around the world walking out of screenings.
24:02The film,
24:03which is also full of physical violence and offensive language,
24:06even reportedly featured the presence of infrasound,
24:09a lowered frequency that is said to subconsciously induce fear,
24:12tension, and nausea.
24:14All of these aspects make Noé's Irreversible
24:16a film that definitely is not for the squeamish.
24:23Number 6. Freaks
24:28Featuring circus performers with real deformities,
24:30this pre-code film from the 30s was originally 90 minutes long,
24:34but the studio viewed the film as too shocking to be released.
24:45Oh, boy, that's great and it's gonna have a beard.
24:48If you're hoping we're gonna have some juicy footage from the extended cut here,
24:52sorry, that footage is by all accounts gone forever.
24:55In spite of the extensive cuts,
24:57some audience members were still unable to stomach the content.
25:00Sure, by today's standards,
25:02it may not seem like it's that big of a deal,
25:04but in 1932,
25:06you can rest assured this film caused quite the stir.
25:09Why should they laugh at you?
25:11Most big people do.
25:13They don't realize I'm a man with the same feelings they have.
25:18Number 5. Saving Private Ryan
25:25Saving Private Ryan is now regarded as one of the greatest war films of all time
25:29due to its harrowing depiction of the realities of World War II.
25:33The opening scene of soldiers landing on Omaha Beach
25:36was so visceral and anxiety-inducing,
25:38it overwhelmed some viewers to the point of walking out of the cinema,
25:42particularly veterans.
25:49These scenes were so striking,
25:51they actually caused a PTSD hotline to become overwhelmed with calls.
25:55Whereas so many films in this genre strived for technical and cinematic achievement,
25:59Saving Private Ryan was entirely focused on portraying the horrors of war,
26:03and it's this realism that left some viewers in a deep state of trauma and grief.
26:0770 years.
26:09That's the first time I talked about it.
26:12To your family?
26:13It was too hard.
26:15And I didn't want to bring it home to my family.
26:17Number 4. Mother
26:19Nonsense. No, no.
26:20Oh, it's late. Stay the night.
26:22No, I couldn't.
26:23Please, we'd enjoy the company, right?
26:27Yes, of course.
26:28Mother was destined to be divisive,
26:30although perhaps neither director Darren Aronofsky nor star Jennifer Lawrence
26:34could have predicted exactly how split audiences would be on the film.
26:37Although some fans and critics lauded Mother as a challenging yet bold triumph,
26:42other screenings of the film were marred by walkouts and complaints.
26:53Some audience members even went so far as to demand refunds for their unpleasant experience,
26:58a move which perhaps mirrors Aronofsky's desire
27:01to provoke better than any actual scene in the finished product.
27:05Do you hear that?
27:06That is the sound of life.
27:07That is the sound of humanity.
27:09Number 3. Cloverfield
27:11You still filming?
27:12Yeah. People are going to want to know how it all went down.
27:16There are many different reasons why people walk out of movies,
27:19some of which have absolutely nothing to do with the film's content.
27:22Take Cloverfield, for example,
27:24a throwback to old school monster movies with a very modern twist.
27:28The found footage shooting style.
27:31I don't know. Something else. Also terrible.
27:33Many audience members were actually enjoying Cloverfield
27:36during its big-time box office opening back in 2008,
27:39but still found themselves searching for the door before the film's destructive climax.
27:43This was due to the often shaky and jarring camera work
27:47that comes part and parcel with the found footage style,
27:49an approach that left many moviegoers physically ill and nauseous.
27:53Is this thing on?
27:54Look out!
27:55Babe, it's on my camera. I don't know if it's the on button or the zoom button.
27:57Number 2. The Blair Witch Project
27:59This was a very long day. A very wet, very long day.
28:04The Blair Witch Project had the perfect amount of parameters to make it successful.
28:08First off, the film's viral marketing gave it a massive groundswell of hype
28:12before it even hit screens in 1999.
28:14Once audiences did catch a glimpse of The Blair Witch Project, however,
28:17it made national news again.
28:19This time for reports of audiences walking out of the theater or becoming physically ill.
28:24Oh my God! What the f*** is that?
28:27What the f*** is that?
28:29Many audiences weren't used to the found footage style of filmmaking back in the late 90s,
28:34or the dizzying effect it can have,
28:36not to mention the fact that many fans were also scared witless by the film's overall execution.
28:41So, call this one a win-win.
28:43That's your motivation!
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29:05How long are you planning to stay in Reagan?
29:07Until she rots and lies stinking in the earth.
29:10We come now to the granddaddy of them all,
29:13the massive horror hit that sent audiences screaming and into a panic back in 1973.
29:19Audiences around the world cried, fainted, screamed,
29:22and ran out of theaters that were screening director William Friedkin's satanic classic,
29:26with some proclaiming the film to just be pure evil.
29:36Maybe it's the combination of The Exorcist's amazing special effects, music and cinematography,
29:41or perhaps the occult themes and religious allegory contained within the film make it so scary.
29:46Whatever the reason,
29:47The Exorcist absolutely terrified audiences and remains a startling example of the power of film.
29:56Which controversial film had you running from the theater?
29:58Let us know in the comments down below.
30:07Did you enjoy this video?
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30:17Thanks for watching.