Fans of Jennifer Lawrence living in certain Israeli cities were likely disappointed, as she has been removed from marketing posters for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2.
Reportedly the posters, displaying Jennifer Lawrence in the role of Katniss Everdeen and complete with her signature bow and arrow, are too upsetting for the ultra-Orthodox audiences in certain cities in Israel.
Initially the posters for the fourth installment of the popular Hunger Games series of films were pretty much the same as they are worldwide — including a striking pose of Lawrence ready to lead the revolution — now, they have been changed to reflect an image of a fiery mockingjay, rather than the star herself, as can be seen in the images below.
Why has Jennifer Lawrence been removed from Hunger Games posters in Israel? https://t.co/VEWBn37Gix pic.twitter.com/wX5xTsVekT
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) November 20, 2015
According to the Guardian this is the case in only a couple of cities in Israel, including Bnei Brak and Jerusalem. Reportedly this marketing change is not only due to the danger of upsetting the religious sensibilities of Israel’s ultra orthodox communities , but also to prevent vandalism.
Liron Suissa, the VP of marketing for Nur Star Media, the company involved in the Israeli posters from which Jennifer Lawrence was removed, told the media this isn’t the first time something like this has happened. They find that posters reflecting women placed in the view of ultra orthodox religious consumers is not a good idea.
Suissa said, “Unfortunately we are subject to unofficial coercion that forces us to be more careful,” adding that they have experienced “endless vandalization” of the movie posters and their clients prefer not to take any chances.
“We allow everything, but we recommend hanging another visual when necessary. The decision is the client’s.”
As also reported in the Guardian, Suissa said, “We discovered that public posters with the image of a female are often torn down in Jerusalem, while Bnei Brak does not allow posters with female images.”
#JenniferLawrence missing from #TheHungerGames posters in parts of Israel: https://t.co/wo3EAGuPFc pic.twitter.com/0kFCVcrNtw — Yahoo Movies (@YahooMovies) November 20, 2015
Relating to Bnei Brak, reportedly the ruling on women’s images is based on a fear they “might incite the feelings of the city’s residents.”
According to Haaretz , there has been controversy over the display of female images, and not just of Jennifer Lawrence, in Jerusalem in recent years. A company that handles bus advertising was allowed to go ahead with its campaign, as long as it agreed to cover the costs of the anticipated vandalization of the buses.
However, there has been no agreement made for posters hung in public areas in the city, so no Jennifer Lawrence images for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 are displayed to fans there.
Main character of a film removed from promotional posters in Israel because she’s female. https://t.co/IrBKi2nWsD
— ? Clinkerbelle M ? (@mm_ssssshh) November 21, 2015
Uri Regev of Hiddush, an NGO that campaigns for religious freedom and equality, said “it is difficult to estimate the damage that capitulation to extremism does to the Jewish faith.”
“We need to make clear that there is absolutely no connection between Judaism and censorship of the image of Katniss Everdeen.”
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 is receiving more positive views than Part 1 . However, the Guardian does mention that the box office performance in France has been lower than that of the first Mockingjay film, possibly due to the recent brutal attacks in Paris putting people off on the idea of heading to the theaters.
The final segment in the Hunger Games is expected to bring in around $300 million in its opening weekend. So far, the film has a 72 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to 65 percent for Part 1 .
In other news relating to the film, the Inquisitr reported on Friday that the late Hollywood actor, Philip Seymour Hoffman does make a signature appearance in the finale of the Hunger Games films.
In other Jennifer Lawrence related news on the Inquisitr , the Hunger Games star recently appeared on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and the pair had fun comparing their equally clumsy experiences.
[Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images Entertainment]
