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Members of the public also complained that an ad for the Universal Pictures summer blockbuster was likely to "cause serious or widespread offence" at a time when gun crime remains near the top of the news, however, the Advertising Standards Authority dismissed this claim.

Seventeen people complained to the regulator about two posters for the film, in which a neurotic office worker played by James McAvoy is lured by Jolie's character, Fox, into a secret society of professional assassins who are able to dodge bullets.

The first poster shows Jolie pointing a gun into the air, with McAvoy in the background pointing his gun towards the viewer.

A second poster contains a picture of Jolie, facing the viewer and firing a gun. The bullet curves towards the audience and is engraved with the word "GOODBYE".

The accompanying caption reads: "Only a few people in the world have our abilities. You are one of them. We will train you to let your instincts guide you. This is your destiny. Join us."

Universal Pictures said in its defence that no media owners had expressed concern about the posters when they were unveiled.

It said that it had asked for the first poster not to appear near schools or other "sensitive" areas. It argued that few children used the London Underground, where the second, bigger, ad was shown.

But the ASA ruled that the wording of the second ad, which was presented in the form of a comic strip, suggested "James McAvoy's character's life had changed for the better since he had become an assassin".

The watchdog said: "The ads featured a glamorous actress, action poses, several images of or related to guns and aspirational text.

"We concluded [that both] ads could be seen to condone violence by glorifying or glamorising the use of guns."

However, the ASA agreed with Universal's argument that, although gun crime was a source of public concern, most people seeing the ad would understand that the posters "reflected the content of an action film" and were not meant to cause offence.

The campaign, which has now finished, was handled by Mediacom, which beat Starcom and Vizeum to the Universal Pictures planning and buying account two years ago.