YouTube has come under fire for slapping a ‘suicide warning’ over the trailer for the new Joker: Folie à Deux movie.
A notice on the preview advised ‘viewer discretion’ warning that the content, ‘may contain suicide or self-harm topics’.
The notice appeared in connection to clip showing Lady Gaga’s character Harley Quinn miming shooting herself in the head.
But the decision was derided on social media and by Wednesday afternoon, YouTube had revoked its warning.
‘Just when you think that the nanny state can’t get anymore absurd,’ one viewer wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
YouTube has come under fire for slapping a ‘suicide warning’ over the trailer for the new Joker: Folie à Deux movie over a scene which shows Lady Gaga mimicking suicide
A notice on the preview advised ‘viewer discretion’ warning that the content, ‘may contain suicide or self-harm topics’
The film is a sequel to the 2019 film Joker and will see Joaquin Phoenix reprise his Oscar-winning role
‘Like when Disney and Netflix put “smoking” on the warnings now for shows. Good lord people have gotten soft,’ another added.
‘YouTube is too sensitive there was none of that in trailers,’ one viewer said.
Several fans noted that the caution was reminiscent of warnings around the first movie that it would inspire an incel mass shooter.
Across the country, police and even the army issued security alerts and stepped up patrols for the movie’s theatrical release, with theater chains putting their own measures in place.
The fears turned out to be overblown and the viewings went ahead without incident.
The film had drawn criticism with some claiming its depiction of Batman villain Joker’s origin story would appeal to incels, or ‘involuntarily celibate’ men who lash out at the world in frustration at their inability to meet women.
Much of the paranoia stemmed from a 2012 shooting in Aurora, Colorado which gunman James Holmes killed 12 at the opening weekend of The Dark Night Rises, another Batman film.
The notice appeared in connection to clip showing Lady Gaga’s character Harley Quinn miming shooting herself in the head
Social media users derided the warning, pointing out that there was similar hysteria around fears the first Joker would prompt an incel mass shooting
The concern around the first Joker stemmed from Aurora gunman James Holmes (pictured) who initially identified himself as ‘The Joker’ after opening fire at the opening weekend of The Dark Knight Rises, killing 12 and injuring 70 others in 2012
Holmes identified himself as ‘The Joker’ before he opened fire, killing a dozen and injuring 70 others.
The latest installment sees Joaquin Phoenix reprise his 2019 Oscar-winning role as Arthur Fleck, who goes on to become the Joker.
Described as a, ‘psychological thriller’, the sequel also features Gaga as fellow mental institute patient Harley Quinn, with the two locking eyes at Arkham Asylum where the Joker was dropped off at the end of the first movie.
Warner Brothers released the trailer on Wednesday with the tagline, ‘He’s not alone anymore’.
The French phrase ‘Folie à Deux’ translates to ‘shared madness’. The movie is due out on October 4.
The trailer also disappointed some fans by suggesting the film is a musical.
Reviewers predicted Joaquin Phoenix’s Oscar win for his portrayal of Joker in 2019 despite fears the film’s dark theme would inspire violence
Director Todd Phillips said that this is inaccurate, but that music is an ‘essential element’ to the story.
YouTube does not allow content that promotes suicide, self-harm, or is intended to shock or disgust users.
A spokeswoman for YouTube said: ‘We determined that our systems applied the warning interstitial incorrectly. The trailer remains available on YouTube without a warning.’
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