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Idris Elba film Bastille Day pulled from French cinemas after Nice terror attack

'If we start pulling violent movies because they show this or that we’re basically giving in'

Jack Shepherd
Monday 18 July 2016 08:45 BST
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Bastille Day Official Trailer

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Following the tragic attack on Nice that left 84 people dead, the studio behind the Idris Elba-starring Bastille Day have pulled the film from cinemas across France.

On the day following the attack, Friday, posters and trailers for the film - in which Elba plays an ex-CIA agent who attempts to stop a terrorist attack in Paris - were removed out of respect for the victims.

Individual cinemas were able to decide for themselves whether to show the film.

According to Variety, Studiocanal made the decisions to withdraw Bastille Day from theatres entirely on Saturday as the country entered three days of national mourning.

“We hesitated [over pulling] Bastille Day,” Jocelyn Bouyssy, the director of CGR, told the Trade. “We decided to keep it because we haven’t received any complaints.

“The film’s narrative is very different from the attack that happened in Nice, and we’re showing many films with violence of all kinds. If we start pulling violent movies because they show this or that we’re basically giving in. We must be strong and keep on living.”

Bastille Day, directed by James Watkins and starring Game of Thrones’ Michael Mason, was released on the 22 April 2016 and has grossed $9.8 million.

You can read the latest developments from the Nice attack here.

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