Cineworld at Bradford Leisure Exchange will no longer be showing The Lady of Heaven film following protests at several cinemas across the country.

The film, released at the end of last week, caused controversy among the Muslim community as it is said to negatively depict deeply loved religious figures.

A protest was held outside Cineworld in Bradford on June 3, the day of its release, where people of all ages gathered – some holding picket signs reading: “It’s not ok to offend 1.8 billion #handsoffoursuperheroes” and “Stop the screening”.

Today, a spokesperson from Cineworld confirmed the chain had cancelled all future showings of ‘The Lady of Heaven’ at its UK cinemas, following protests at a number of cinemas across the country.

They said: “Due to recent incidents related to screenings of ‘The Lady of Heaven’, we have made the decision to cancel upcoming screenings of the film nationwide to ensure the safety of our staff and customers.”

It’s believed that the film was due to be screened at around 30 cinemas up and down the country – including a large number of those belonging to the Cineworld chain - and some Vue cinemas.

However, Vue cinema has said their film scheduling decisions were taken on a "site-by-site" basis, but confirmed that The Lady of Heaven was still on show at "a number" of their theatres.

They said: “Vue takes seriously the responsibilities that come with providing a platform for a wide variety of content and believes in showcasing films of interest to diverse communities across the UK.

"Vue will only show a film once the BBFC (the independent British Board of Film Classification) has assessed and rated a film. The Lady of Heaven has been BBFC accredited and is on show in a number of our cinemas.

It has been said that the film portrays the life story of Lady Fatima, the daughter of Prophet Muhammad, weaved together with the tale of a young Iraqi orphan in the modern-day, and has already been banned in some countries, including Iran and Egypt.

The Prophet Muhammad’s face is also said to feature as a mixture of computer-generated and lighting imagery.

Speaking to the crowd through a megaphone, one man at the protest said: “We are very offended. We have a right not to be insulted. You talk about freedom of speech but where does your freedom of speech go when it goes to criticising your policies when it goes to making a critical analysis of your version of history.”

He added: “You have no right to tell us our history. We will not let this film go on further.”

Roshan Muhammed Salih of 5 Pillars has been another vocal critic of the film, having watched the film.

He said: “Most Muslims will find the invective against three of the most beloved companions of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) shocking and disgusting.”

Some Muslims have expressed feeling hurt and angry over the film, suggesting the plot goes against their understanding of historical events.