‘Following the tragic attack on Nice, the studio behind the Idris Elba-starring
Bastille Day have pulled the film from cinemas across France. On 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.
However, 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.
According to Jocelyn Bouyssy, the director of CGR, “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.
