CINEMAS bosses are to challenge the 12 certificate awarded to this summer's big movie, Spiderman.

Thousands of comic book fans have been disappointed to find they are too young to watch the film because censors believe it is too violent.

Although the film has been classified PG-13 in America, any youngster below that age can still see their favourite superhero provided they are accompanied by an adult.

Parents have slammed the under-12s ban and some cinemas are planning to appeal.

In the North-East, the Robins cinema in Durham has asked the city council to override the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC).

Richard Coxon, deputy manager of the Robins cinema, said he hoped the council would take action to allow children to watch the film by the end of next week.

He said: "We have been bombarded with complaints from parents. The BBFC are cutting off about 20 per cent of the audience.

"We would love to be the first cinema in the North-East to show the film to under 12s. We just want our customers to be happy. All this 'moral guardian' stuff from the BBFC is ridiculous."

Other cinemas in the region also pledged to look at the situation if parents complain.

Darlington's Odeon said it had not received any complaints from parents, but would take action if there was enough demand.

The Showcase cinema multiplex, in Teesside, which is own by an American group, declined to comment.

However, a spokeswoman for UCI's Gateshead cinema said: "We don't really want to go against the BBFC, so we won't be challenging the certificate."

Jenny Peat, of Barnard Castle, County Durham, who has children aged eight and nine, said: "I think it's very cynical to bombard the pre-teens with all this merchandising and TV advertising, and then say they're too young to see the film.

"I just wish film-makers would make up their minds who they are aiming the product at and let us know early on to save disappointment."

Last night, the BBFC revealed that in the wake of the furore over Spiderman it would consider modifying the 12 certificate to permit youngsters into such a film with a parent or guardian.

Some rebel local authorities, including Tameside in Greater Manchester, Great Yarmouth, North Norfolk and Breckland, in East Anglia, have already overridden the BBFC and introduced the PG 12 certificate themselves.

Local authorities can overturn BBFC certificates under the Cinema Act. The powers were widely used by the GLC in the 1970s to allow specialist cinemas to show controversial films such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.