LONDON — Two British cinema chains have faced widespread criticism after they pulled a film about gang violence from their screens.

On Sunday, Vue, one of Britain’s largest theater chains, canceled screenings of “Blue Story,” a feature about rival London gangs, after a brawl at one of its theaters on Saturday.

Showcase, another chain, also pulled the movie, while Odeon, another group, said in an emailed statement that it would continue to screen “Blue Story” but had put “a number of security measures in place.”

The fight, at one of Vue’s theaters in Birmingham, England, started in a concourse, according to Birmingham Live, a local news service. It eventually spread outside and escalated to involve up to 100 people, the West Midlands Police said in a statement. Two machetes were seized and seven police officers injured, the statement added.