Discuss: Are R-Rated Blockbusters a Thing of the Past?

Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on March 23, 2009

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Watchmen took another 62% drop in its third weekend. IESB reports that Warner Bros. is no longer interested in making superhero/tentpole movies with an R-rating anymore. Have we seen the end of the days when an R-rated movie could dominate the box office? This is a topic that is currently raging throughout the tubes of the interwebs. With last year’s two highest grossing films, The Dark Knight and Iron Man, both being PG-13 rated superhero films it would stand to reason that Hollywood check signers would be a bit gun shy when it comes to making a hardcore R-rated tentpole film. The easy greenlight for an R-rated film seems to have been whittled down to genre films such as Friday the 13th or the Saw franchise.

The discussion goes further to include some speculation about this summer’s biggest movies, many of which are sitting pretty with their PG-13 ratings. This includes X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, leaving studios like Warner Bros. decidedly worried about the fact that McG wants Terminator Salvation to earn an R rating just like its predecessors. As IESB reports:

WB wants PG-13, director McG wants R just like the originals. McG was outspoken about the ratings debacle at WonderCon 2009 who said he wants the Moon Bloodgood in the rain topless scene kept in the film. WB wants it nixed to comply with the PG-13 guidelines.

Now, as much as we too want to see Moon Bloodgood standing naked in the rain, we also understand the economics of Hollywood. It is a very tricky game, and while I wouldn’t go as far as to say that Watchmen’s box office totals were hindered in a big way by the fact that it was R-rated — it was also 3-hours long and film that was not easily described in one sentence — it certainly had something to do with it. So from the studio’s standpoint, the choice is between taking the R-rated risk and hoping that a smaller segment of fans can drive enough revenue to cover the films $100+ million budget, or cut it up a bit and make it PG-13 and bank on being able to reach a much wider audience. Like I said, it’s very tricky. And it would appear as if more and more Hollywood higher-ups are looking to play it safe, especially with their bigger properties. And while that won’t make us all happy (I know that I personally would rather see some R-rated fare anyday), we can’t exactly blame them for wanting to make some money. Because when it comes to big tentpole films, the art generally goes out the window and it comes down to making money.

What do you think? Are we seeing the death of the R-rated tentpole film? Do you feel like studios are playing it too safe or are they just being tactically smart?


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  • Ugh, PG-13. Look what happened to Max Payne!
  • Chille
    God, this is very, very bad news. Looks like we're going to see more movies ruined for the sake of money.
  • Good movies make money. Bad ones don't. The argument against R-rated films is insanely stupid. Transformers doesn't need to be rated R. Batman doesn't need to be rated R. Watchmen HAD to be rated R. 300 HAD to be rated R. Have we seriously forgot that R-Rated movies make money when they're good? The Matrix, 300, Friday the 13th, SAW, Wedding Crashers, Gladiator, etc. All of those made more than $55 million, with Wedding Crashers and Gladiator making over $150 million.

    One R-Rated movie that was targeted at a very small niche audience with a runtime of 2hrs 45min doesn't make $100 million and the R-Rating is at fault? No thanks - Watchmen was a hard sell and was never going to make big box office.

    WB just has to remember that the R-Rated Terminator 2 made more than $150 million. If the movie is good, regardless of rating, people will see it. Don't go the Live Free or Die Hard route - that movie sucked mad ass in Theaters, but the unrated DVD was actually entertaining.

    This is why I hate the internet - everything can be turned into an immediate crisis based on one sentence and next thing you know, the world is crumbling around us.
  • money and art mix like oil and vinegar. if its R make it R if its PG-13 then make it that way. terminator will do fine whether its R or not. i wish the WB would realize that.
  • No, the day of the rated R blockbuster arent over. Is Hollywood really that blind? The thing about Iron Man and X-Men is that they're Popcorn Movies. People go to them to shut their brains off. But intelligent movie goers still want to be rewarded.
  • crappy script and director...don't forget 20th Century Fox made it...I think it's rating was the least of it's problem...
  • BigPoppa
    "Good movies" dont make bank.Bad flicks are the ones making consistent box office.This is why we have parody flicks,and enough remakes to make any sane movie-goer nauseous.This is why the indie movie scene's still on shaky ground,unless a major studio backs your movie,your films gonna be lucky to see a dvd release.Most of my favorite movies that i would consider GREAT bombed the box office and only saw a small cult audience on dvd.
  • BigPoppa
    R ratings,or ratings in general have little to do with the problem,its dumb people seeing dumb movies.
  • andrew
    i agree with BigPoppa and the others who've expressed their sentiments about dumb moviegoers. case in point, look at the grosses of twilight ($160 mil) and Paul Blart ($140 mil).
  • Sarah Conner
    I'd hate to see rated R blockbusters go the way of the dodo. But there are lots of kids with lots of money, and mommy and daddy don't want them seeing tits and blood-- save that stuff for when they turn into sexually repressed seventeen year olds with no concept of death.

    I hope McG's Terminator gets the R rating he wants. This is a post-apocalyptic war flick focusing on humanity's last stand against an unstoppable evil mechanical force-- given the story material, it shouldn't get a kid-friendly rating just because of the absence of tits and blood. But America is such a prudish country, I have a feeling that PG-13 films and the MPAA's rating system will have a long lasting reign over the film industry.
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