The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned promotional posters for the new The Mummy film from the London Underground after receiving 30 complaints about realistic depictions of a dead child. The ASA found that the image on the poster, which shows a female figure with mummified features and a vacant expression, was likely to distress young children and breach advertising codes. According to the ASA, one billboard displaying the poster was directly visible from a children's nursery, despite Warner Bros' claims that adverts were not placed within 100 metres of any school. The ASA upheld complaints regarding outdoor posters but not those about television or streaming ads for the film, which had been pre-approved with a post-19:30 scheduling restriction.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-21,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) banned posters for the new The Mummy film from the London Underground and other billboards after receiving 30 complaints about the promotional campaign. The complaint was that the posters included a realistic depiction of a dead child, which could be distressing to both children and adults. However, Warner Bros, the distributor, defended the campaign, stating that it had been prepared with "due responsibility to consumers and society" and did not intend to create fear or offense. The poster shows a female figure with a mummified appearance, but Warner Bros explained that this character is actually a "living mummy" who was returned to her parents as a young adult after being kidnapped as a child.
Written for “The Mummy Film Advertising Banned” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article presents a neutral account of the situation, but some language hints at a slightly more critical perspective on the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and Warner Bros. The use of phrases such as 'regulators said' and 'the watchdog noted' maintains a level of detachment, but the description of the ASA's conclusion as a 'breach of the code' suggests a slight leaning towards criticism of Warner Bros.' actions.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score +0.25 for article 463 · logged 2026-08-05
- Published
Posters for the new The Mummy film have been banned from the London Underground and other billboards after regulators said they included realistic depictions of a dead child.
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they → publish → child
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received 30 complaints regarding the promotional campaign for the Lee Cronin film and said the posters must not be displayed in areas where children could see them.
uncertain
children → receive → them
Many complainants argued the imagery was distressing for both children and adults.
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imagery → argue → children
Warner Bros defended the campaign, stating it had been prepared with "due responsibility to consumers and society" and was not designed to create fear or offence.
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it → defend → fear
The poster shows a close-up image of a female figure with a mummified appearance, sunken features and one eye swollen shut, alongside the tagline: "Some things are meant to stay buried."
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things → show → tagline
The distributor explained that the character depicted was a "living mummy" who was returned to her parents as a young adult, many years after having been kidnapped as a child.
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who → explain → child
It argued that the poster used a neutral facial expression while avoiding elements of violence or intimidation to reduce any risk of distress.
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poster → argue → distress
Warner Bros added that the design had been cleared by Transport for London's advertising partner, Global, for display across the London Underground network.
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design → add → network
However, the ASA upheld the complaints regarding the outdoor and Underground posters.
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ASA → uphold → posters
The watchdog noted that the figure's grey, ashen skin, cracked lips and fixed, vacant expression combined to give a "realistic impression of a dead child".
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skin → note → child
The ASA stated: "Because the figure had recognisable human features, we considered that viewers were likely to understand it as a realistic depiction of a dead child."
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viewers → state → child
It added that although Warner Bros confirmed adverts were not placed within 100 metres (328ft) of any school, one billboard was directly visible from a children's nursery.
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billboard → add → nursery
The regulator concluded: "We considered the image was likely to distress young children and that it was unsuitable for display where it was likely to be seen by them.
"
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it → conclude → them
We therefore concluded that the ads were unsuitable for outdoor display and therefore breached the code."
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ads → conclude → code
Complaints regarding television and live streaming service adverts for the film were not upheld by the regulator, as Clearcast - which pre-approves TV and streaming ads - had applied a post-19:30 scheduling restriction.
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which → regard → restriction
The ASA also rejected separate complaints about posters and television adverts for another Warner Bros horror film, They Will Kill You.
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They → reject → You
Around 20 complainants had argued that those adverts glamorised violence and knife crime, but the watchdog ruled the imagery was highly stylised and clearly reflected the fictional nature of the film.
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imagery → argue → film
