The Irish Film Classification Office (Ifco) received 18 complaints from the public relating to classifications awarded last year.
The report has revealed that PG comedy Show Dogs was the most complained about film last year with six complaints. Of these, two were from people who had not seen the film.
The film,starring Will Arnett and Shaquille O’Neill received a one-star rating on movie review site Rotten Tomatoes while The Irish Times awarded it two stars.
Ifco certified 448 films, 2,621 video works and examined 36 video games in 2018.
There were two appeals made against certifications over the course of the year – the 18 certification awarded to The First Purge and the 12A certification awarded to Bumblebee. In both cases the classification of Films Appeals Board upheld Ifco’s decisions.
The report said there was a decline of approximately 15 per cent in the number of video/DVDs submitted to Ifco for certification in 2018.
The film classification office said the decline is indicative of “the changing preferences of the public in terms of how they access films”.
Coinciding with its annual report Ifco has relaunched its website in an attempt to help parents make informed viewing choices for their children.
It said the new and improved user friendly website allows “quick access to key information” about the releases.
It said the improved user friendly website allows “quick access to key information” about the releases.
The website will provide details of the genre of film and a guide to any violence, drugs, sex, nudity and coarse language in the film.
Minister of State at the Department of Justice David Stanton said Ifco is 96 years in existence and is one of the oldest agencies in the State.
“We have moved into an era of immediate access to information coupled with public expectations that State bodies will provide accurate and up to date information at the touch of a button,” said Mr Stanton.
