Ridley Scott Talks "Prometheus'" Rating

Does an R rating make financial sense?

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For most big-budget blockbusters, it's just assumed that the movie studio in charge will shoot for a PG-13 rating, or lower, in order to capitalize on the money coming from younger audiences and families. Because of this practice, we'll never get to see an R-rated Batman, Transformers, or Pirates of the Caribbean movie any time soon. But what happens when a visionary director wants to create a sequel/prequel to his classic film that was originally made famous partly because of its R rating? 

That's the dilemma currently facing Ridley Scott and 20th Century Fox on Scott's reentry into the Alien world, Prometheus. In an interview with Empire Magazine, Scott spoke about the film's rating and how it impacted the filming process.

"The question is, do you go for the PG-13, [which] financially makes quite a difference, or do you go for what it should be, which is R? Essentially, it's kinda R," said Scott.

The site is also reporting that the director hinted that the violence was toned down during filming with a potential PG-13 rating in mind. But Scott is claiming that gore and violence aren't the sole reasons why an R rating might be best for the film.

"It's not just about the blood, it's about ideas that are very stressful. I'm not an idiot, but I'll do everything I can to get the most aggressive film I can," Scott continued. 

Scott might be firmly of the mind that an R rating is exactly where Prometheus should be, but the studio has the final say. And big-budget movies with an R rating have a history of underperforming at the box office. If you need any more proof of that just take a look at the numbers for Watchmen or Scott's previous effort, Kingdom of Heaven.

With Prometheus scheduled to hit U.S. theaters on June 8, we should have an official rating on the film in the coming weeks.

[via Empire

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