BBFC report shows most complained-about films of 2023; cinema submissions at 10-year high

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has published its annual report including the most complained-about films of 2023; while also reporting an increase in the number of submissions for cinema classification.

The BBFC received 148 complaints about classification decisions in 2023, up from 93 in 2020, 109 in 2021 and 84 in 2022.

Universal Pictures’ horror Five Nights at Freddy’s, based on the videogame series of the same name, received the most classification-related complaints with 26. All the complaints came from cinemagoers aged under 15, who could not attend the film because of its 15 rating.

Concert film Billie Eilish Live At The O2, rated 15 due to ‘the volume of strong language’, received 17 complaints, also all from fans aged under 15. A re-edited version of the film submitted by distributor Trafalgar Releasing was classified 12A.

Disney’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and James Cameron’s 1989 sci-fi The Abyss received 15 complaints each – the latter due to rumours that a proposed 4K re-release of the film had been cancelled due to BBFC advice on a scene in which a man submerges a live rat in liquid. The BBFC denied this, stating ‘We are not involved in releasing films and so we do not have any information on release plans.’

Sony’s A Man Called Otto and eOne’s The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry received five complaints each, both due to classification around suicide. A Man Called Otto is rated 15 as it is ‘too detailed in terms of the suicide methods to be classified below 15’, while Harold Fry is a 12A as ‘the suicide occurs off-screen’ and ‘whilst upsetting, we felt it appropriate to classify at 12A due to the lack of detail’.

Separately from its classification judgements, the BBFC received 400 complaints about Indian title The Kerala Story, in which a suspected terrorist is recruited by Islamist militants.

According to the BBFC, many of the complaints stated that the 18-rated film was ‘offensive to Islam’; while also complaining about a delay in its classification, which the BBFC said was due to ‘multiple rape scenes [which] required that it be referred for review by senior staff’.

Cinema increase

2023 saw a 10-year high in cinema submissions, with 1,114 films submitted for cinema classification. This is a 5.4% increase on the 1,057 submissions for 2022.

The 15 category remains the most frequently issued, with 494 submissions rated at this level, including Oppenheimer, Saltburn, How To Have Sex and Talk To Me in 2023.

It is followed by 12A, which received over 383 submissions in 2023, including Barbie, Polite Society and The Boy and the Heron. Both categories also set 10-year records for number of submissions.

The BBFC report also detailed its development of two new tools that utilise AI technology to help the industry adapt to evolving audience viewing habits.

As well as the 1,114 cinema films, the BBFC classified 4,400 video submissions, and 3,614 online submissions in 2023.

“Following a precarious few years for the film and entertainment industry, it was encouraging to see cinema submissions increase in 2023,” said BBFC chief executive David Austin. “Our groundbreaking work with AI will make trusted BBFC age ratings and content advice more accessible than ever before, enabling us to better meet the needs of our industry partners and ensure that families have the guidance they want and expect when choosing what to watch.”

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