After demonstrations outside several theatres, Cineworld has canceled all UK showing of a film about the Prophet Muhammad's daughter.
The decision was made "to guarantee the safety of our employees and customers," according to the movie company.
More than 120,000 individuals have signed a petition to have the film The Lady of Heaven withdrawn from UK theaters.
The picture was deemed "blasphemous" and sectarian by the Bolton Council of Mosques.
However, Baroness Claire Fox, a lord in the House of Lords, described the judgment as "disastrous for the arts [and] perilous for free expression," while Health Secretary Sajid Javid expressed his "deep worry" over the UK's "increasing cancel culture."
The head of the Bolton Council of Mosques, Asif Patel, wrote in an email to Cineworld that the film was "underpinned by a sectarian ideology" and "misrepresents orthodox historical narratives and disrespects the most renowned personalities in Islamic history," according to the Bolton News.
It happened after more than 100 people protested outside the movie earlier this week, according to the newspaper.
On Sunday, the Muslim news blog 5Pillars published a photo on Twitter that it said showed 200 Muslims protesting against the film outside a Birmingham Cineworld. Malik Shlibak, the film's executive producer, said he welcomed people's opinions but that theaters should "stand up and protect their right to show films that people want to see."
He told the Guardian, "I think theatres are collapsing under the strain, and adopting these steps to calm the noise."
"I am really concerned about the rising cancel culture in our nation," Mr Javid told TalkTV on Wednesday. There are many who believe they have the right not to be offended, but no one has that right.
"Even if you don't agree with what someone has to say, they have the right to speak it."
He noted that the United Kingdom has no blasphemy legislation and cautioned that this would be "an extraordinarily hazardous road to travel down."
"We have freedom of speech and expression in our nation, and that is a basic principle," he continued. In a tweet, Baroness Fox slammed efforts to cancel the film, saying, "Same 'I Find That Offensive' cancel culture arguments now being used well beyond university activism." "Disastrous for the artists, hazardous for free expression, and a lesson for those who claim identity politics do not pose a threat to democracy."
The film, which was premiered in UK theaters on June 3rd, promises to recount the narrative of Lady Fatima, Prophet Muhammad's daughter.
Some organizations have criticized it for representing the Prophet Muhammad, which is considered an insult in Islam.
"No individual portrayed a Holy Personality," according to the film's website, with performances accomplished "via a unique blend of performers, in-camera effects, lighting, and visual effects."
The video has been labeled "divisive" by the Muslim Council of Britain, the UK's largest Muslim umbrella organization.
The organization stated in a statement released on Sunday that it "supports those scholars and leaders who are pushing for greater unity and the common good."
"There are individuals whose primary purpose is to promote hatred," the statement said, "including many of this film's admirers or those engaged in sectarianism in their response."
The film was still set to be screened in a number of Vue theatres around London and the south-east on Wednesday.
"Vue takes seriously the obligations that come with providing a platform for a wide variety of material and believes in promoting films of interest to various groups across the UK," a spokesman said in a statement.
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