According to entertainment industry magazine Variety, Cats did screen for the notoriously secretive Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which votes on the Golden Globes.
However, with mere days to go before its UK release, Cats has still not been shown to the outside world.
Working Title co-chairs Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner told Variety that the uproar may well work in the film’s favour.
Cats will be released on 20 December in the UK and US.