Does the 'It' clown look like Ronald McDonald? Why some people want the movie banned

After smashing box office records and reawakening long-suppressed fears of clowns, the “It” movie has soundly won over horror fans across the world. The coming-of-age tale, which follows a group of kids as they battle a demonic clown, is one of the biggest movies of the year.

But not everyone is a fan, and one company says it wants the movie banned.

Burger King’s Russian division said in a complaint that Pennywise, the evil, menacing, soul-eating devourer-of-children’s fears from the film is an “exact copy” of their rival McDonald’s big-shoed clown mascot — and that’s a violation of advertising law.

The complaint, published by the Russian website Vedomosti, says that Pennywise looks just like Ronald McDonald, “including the color range and the [balloons] with which the clown lures children.”

A spokesperson for Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service said the board would need to examine the complaint and would check the movie to see if there was any product placement or advertising for McDonald’s that could be violating rules, Newsweek reported.

“We can't be concerned with the content of the film because the writer and director have their own creative understanding of any character,” she said.

If the goal is to make fewer people see the movie, it’s going to be a big battle for Burger King to fight. “It” is already a global super-hit, having grossed nearly half-a-billion dollars so far. The release date of the sequel, “It: Part 2,” has already been announced.

This story was originally published September 27, 2017 at 8:36 AM with the headline "Does the 'It' clown look like Ronald McDonald? Why some people want the movie banned."