Poster for 'The Awakening of the Mummy' and its 'dead child' under scrutiny by London authorities

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in the UK has banned promotional posters for the horror film "The Awakening of the Mummy" following a significant number of public complaints. The decision came after the ASA received 30 complaints regarding the film's visual advertising, which featured a mummified child.

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received 30 complaints estimating that the advertisements of Warner Bros. Entertainment were distressing for children and adults.

According to the ASA's ruling on August 5, the poster's imagery, including the depiction of a child's face and body wrapped in a shroud-like fabric with hieroglyphs, was deemed too close to representing "a dead child." The authority stated that the combination of elements, such as the gray, ashen skin and damaged facial features, reinforced the potential comparison to a lifeless body. This visual, the ASA concluded, breached rules 1.3 and 4.2 of the CAP Code.

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a dead child

Warner Bros., the distributor, had defended the poster, describing the character's expression as "neutral" and stating they deliberately avoided a "funerary effect" by not including a sarcophagus. The studio also claimed to adhere to legal requirements by keeping posters more than 100 meters from schools. However, the ASA has ordered Warner Bros. to cease using these posters in public spaces to prevent further distress, particularly given their placement in areas like the London Underground and near nurseries. Other complaints, including those alleging "trivialization of child loss," were reviewed and dismissed, as were television and streaming advertisements, which were deemed unlikely to cause "serious distress" when aired after 7:30 p.m.

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a neutral expression