PERTH, Australia — Moviegoers in Perth, Australia can quite swallow the classic porn film “Deep Throat.”
The first public screening of the movie scheduled for Dec. 8 at the Rooftop Movies in the capital city of Western Australia has been scrapped from its summer line-up after receiving only four complaints.
"When we programmed ‘Deep Throat’ we received some concerned commentary from a few audience members about the gender politics of the film," a theater spokesperson told the Syndey Morning Herald.
The spokesperson explained that the theater valued its relationship with its patrons and embraced an "open dialogue." When concerns were raised they pulled the plug.
"These [comments] were not mindless rants, they were well considered critiques," the spokesperson said.
And the fact that only eight tickets were sold in advance undoubtedly influenced the theater's decision.
"In light of this, we reviewed the screening of the film, took on board the feedback from our audience, and decided the concerns were valid enough to cancel the screening," the spokesperson said.
The decision to add the classic porn film to the theater’s program was “nerve wracking” from the get go, according to program coordinator Jess Darlow. However, the proprietors felt people would be interested in the cult film before the new Linda Lovelace biopic, “Lovelace” hits the circuits in 2013.
"It's a bit of audience education," Dalow said at the time. "There are a lot of new facts that have come to light about her life and it's a good time to see the original. We're looking at it as a cultural education rather than adult cinema."
The classic “Deep Throat” has been replaced with a double screening of “The Goonies” and “Monkey Magic.”
