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Apr 29, 2019, 6:31 AM EDT (Updated)

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Living in the United States means having to put up with a lot of cognitive dissonance. For instance, the Bill of Rights allows citizens more freedom than in many European countries. At the same time, the Motion Picture Association of America strictly censors movie posters in ways that Europeans wouldn't dream of. To illustrate this dichotomy, we present 14 movie posters that were banned or otherwise recalled, usually by the MPAA. Please note: We did not include horror movie posters, as there is already an excellent article written about graphic horror posters.

A Clockwork Orange The iconic poster behind Stanley Kubrick's 1971 masterpiece was censored for two...

AliensPart of her superstar contract to appear in the sequel to James Cameron's space action...

The Dark KnightSo, it turns out, that when you make a poster of a guy slitting his own mouth open,...

Dick TracyThis advanced release poster was pulled before it even hit theaters. The film was...

The Empire Strikes BackWhile this poster didn't really offend everyone, it did offend one key...

GoldmemberNew Line had to replace this poster, not because of the skimpily-clad buttocks, but...

Harry and the HendersonsThis poster, about a loveable Bigfoot who charms his way into a family's...

Predator 2It's a Christmas faux pas that's happened to everyone: You eagerly unwrap a present and...

Rocky Horror Picture ShowThis poster, celebrating the tenth anniversary of the iconic film, was...

Sin City 2One of the more famous recent movie posters to get eighty-sixed by the MPAA, this print...

Spider-ManAlthough Sam Raimi's The Amazing Spider-Man wasn't released until May, 2002, promotional...

TMNTGo ahead and take a long look at this tweeted poster for the Australian release of TMNT, and...

WizardsWhen we first learned this poster was recalled, we were kind of baffled. Sure, it kind of...

The Zero TheoremThis 2013 film features a computer programmer waiting for a phone call with the...
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