10 Most Controversial Opening Movie Scenes

4. Nocturnal Animals

The introduction of Nocturnal Animals is pretty much what the wider populace assume all art-house filmmaking is. The sequence is unapologetically button-pushing, cutting between a group of large women dancing to the soundtrack. Oh, and all of them are naked.

Most moviegoers went into Nocturnal Animals expecting a pretty straightforward thriller, yet this surprising opening throws everything off balance. Initially devoid of any context (it's later revealed that it's part of an expressive art installation run by Amy Adams' character), viewers are subjected to the graphic nudity for a couple of minutes, without anything on screen to divert their attention.

Naturally, not only did the opening receive a backlash because of the actual explicit content itself, but because of accusations that it was exploiting - or even making fun of - the women who were brought in to perform the dance. Consequently, the intro was cut in some territories entirely, perhaps highlighting just how superfluous it was to the narrative at hand anyway.