12 Movies That Were Changed Due to Controversy

There are controversial movies and then there are movies that are so controversial that people get upset about them before they even see them. And then there are movies that are so controversial that people get so upset about them before they even see them to the point that the studios releasing those movies decide to change them before they get released to theaters.

This is a list about that last kind of controversial movie.

Some of the changes to these movies listed below amount to very little tangible differences in the grand scheme of things; swapping out some stock footage here or tweaking the look of something there. But in other cases, these pictures were given radical overhauls before the public were allowed to get a look at them. We’re talking characters getting totally redesigned — or actors being replaced after the entire film had already been shot — and delays of months upon months as creators scrambled to fix whatever had angered potential customers in the first place.

Sony

Sometimes these changes amounted to much ado about nothing; even after they were altered to meet perceived viewer demands, they still bombed in theaters (or weren’t even released to theaters at all). But other times, these last-minute cuts turned potential bombs into massive hits. And that is why producers keep changing movies at the last minute when controversy arises. The potential long-term financial benefits outweigh the short-term costs.

Until the next scandal breaks, here are 12 notable examples of films that were changed as a direct result of loud public controversies.