Cinemagoers in the British city of Liverpool demanded refunds on tickets for Oscar favourite The Artist because they did not realise it is a silent film, a cinema chain said.

The French-directed picture won three Golden Globes and the most nominations for Britain’s Baftas lastweek, and is widely tipped for glory at next month’s Oscars.

But several cinemagoers in Liverpool, a port city in north-west England, were apparently not so impressed and stormed out in objection to the lack of dialogue and the smaller-than-usual screen.

“Odeon Liverpool One can confirm it has issued a small number of refunds to guests who were unaware that The Artist was a silent film,” a spokeswoman for the cinema told AFP.

“The cinema is happy to offer guests a refund on their film choice is they raise concern with a member of staff within 10 minutes of the film starting.”