Netflix has issued a swift mea culpa after a strong backlash today around the marketing of its forthcoming release Cuties.

The largely well-received French-language pic won the World Cinema Dramatic Directing Award at Sundance this year. It follows Amy, an 11-year-old girl who joins a group of dancers named ‘the cuties’ at school, and rapidly grows aware of her burgeoning femininity – upsetting her mother and her values. The film is 82% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and critics generally praised it for its handling of sensitive topics.

Netflix recently began promoting the movie recently ahead of its release on the platform on September 9. However, the accompany artwork has provoked a litany of online criticism, with many saying the poster sexualizes children. One Twitter user called it “disgusting”, while another said “Netflix really messed up here”.  Here’s the poster which sparked the backlash:

The online releases follows its theatrical release in its native country via Bac Films which began yesterday (August 19). The Netflix poster contrasts considerably with the French theatrical poster, which strikes a somewhat different tone, as per the below:

Netflix has moved quickly to take down the offending artwork and has already replaced it. It was not immediately clear if the artwork was made in-house or by an agency. The streamer also apologized, issuing the following statement to Deadline:

“We’re sorry for the inappropriate artwork that we used for this film. This was not an accurate representation of the film so the image and description has been updated.”

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