6 Movies That Prompted Walkouts at Their Premiere Screenings

Film festivals are usually polite places. Audiences clap, critics scribble notes, and the loudest reaction is often a long standing ovation. Once in a while, though, the seats start flipping up in the middle of a screening and people head for the exits.

These six films all drew walkouts, boos, or both when they first met an audience. Some of those reactions have been reported with numbers that vary by source, so the details below stay careful where the record is fuzzy.

Irréversible (Cannes, 2002)

Gaspar Noé’s revenge drama played in competition at Cannes in 2002. It is told in reverse and includes a brutal, unbroken sequence of sexual violence that many viewers found unbearable. Press accounts at the time described a steady stream of people leaving the Grand Théâtre Lumière.

Reports of the exact count differ, though figures of more than two hundred walkouts are often repeated. Several accounts also mention audience members needing medical attention. The film has since been reassessed by some critics as a serious, if punishing, piece of work.

The Brown Bunny (Cannes, 2003)

Vincent Gallo’s road movie premiered in competition at Cannes in 2003 and was met with boos and early exits. Critics found it slow and self indulgent, and the final scene became the focus of most of the controversy. Roger Ebert famously called it the worst film in the history of the festival.

The reaction turned into a public feud between Ebert and Gallo. Gallo later cut the film down and re-released it, and Ebert gave the shorter version a more favorable review. It remains a textbook example of how a premiere can sour a film’s reputation before most people have seen it.

Antichrist (Cannes, 2009)

Lars von Trier’s grief horror film starring Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg premiered in competition at Cannes in 2009. Its scenes of self harm and mutilation divided the press room immediately. Walkouts and jeers were widely reported, along with stories of viewers feeling faint.

The festival’s ecumenical jury responded by handing the film a special prize that was widely described as an anti award. Gainsbourg, meanwhile, won the best actress prize at the festival. The split reaction fit the film’s reputation as one of the most polarizing releases of its decade.

Raw (Toronto International Film Festival, 2016)

Julia Ducournau’s debut feature follows a vegetarian veterinary student who develops a taste for human flesh. It screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2016 after earlier showings at Cannes, in a section for new talent. News coverage of the Toronto screening reported that some viewers fainted and that paramedics were called.

Not everyone who left was reacting to a single moment, since reports describe a mix of fainting and people simply stepping out. The attention helped the film’s profile rather than hurting it. Ducournau later won the Palme d’Or for Titane in 2021, which suggests the shock was only part of what she was doing.

The Neon Demon (Cannes, 2016)

Nicolas Winding Refn’s fashion world horror film arrived in competition at Cannes in 2016. It features cannibalism, necrophilia, and a glossy, nightmarish look at the modeling industry. Reviewers noted boos and viewers leaving during the screening, though others praised its visuals and score.

Refn is a director who has often courted divided reactions, and this premiere was no exception. Critics split sharply, with some calling it hollow and others calling it hypnotic. The film did not win a major prize, but it has kept a cult following.

The House That Jack Built (Cannes, 2018)

Lars von Trier returned to Cannes in 2018 with a serial killer story starring Matt Dillon, shown out of competition. The film includes graphic violence against women and children, and it prompted a reported wave of walkouts. Trade coverage commonly cited a figure of around one hundred people leaving.

The screening also ended with a lengthy standing ovation from part of the audience, so reactions in the room were far from uniform. Von Trier had been banned from the festival after remarks he made in 2011, and this was his first Cannes appearance since the ban was lifted. The mixed response again showed how his work tends to split viewers.