Superhero movies are a wildly popular genre in the film industry, and studios are showing no signs of slowing down. One of the most highly anticipated projects coming to theaters is Matt Reeves’ The Batman, which stars Robert Pattinson in the title role and is set outside of the DCEU. And as it approaches release, we know why The Batman is officially rated PG-13.
Excitement over The Batman has been steadily building since the first footage arrived in the summer of 2020. Now the project is just a few months away, so we’ll soon be treated to the performances of Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, and Colin Farrell. And while the trailers show some brutal violence, the project ended up with a PG-13 rating. The reason given by the MPAA is:
Rated PG-13 for strong violent and disturbing content, drug content, strong language, and some suggestive material.
Well, there you have it. It sounds like Matt Reeves will still have a gritty take on Gotham City’s mythology in The Batman, but a PG-13 rating should open the most financial doors for the project. As such, it'll allow for the widest audience possible when it arrives exclusively in theaters.
The Batman’s official film rating is sure to turn a few heads, given how unique Matt Reeves’ upcoming DC project appears to be. The trailers have shown a realistic, and super stylish take on comic mythology. And while Robert Pattinson’s vigilante is pictured brutally beating the crap out of a thug, the violence didn’t result in an R rating.
The superhero genre, by and large, subscribes to PG-13 ratings, which allows for the biggest box office haul possible. But over the past few years a number of acclaimed projects have done well with an R rating, such as Deadpool, Logan, and The Suicide Squad. Fans had been curious about where The Batman would sit on that issue, and it turns out that Matt Reeves and company managed to keep the drug use and violence of the movie down to appease the MPAA.
The film industry is in a unique place right now, with new movie releases being either a hit or miss in theaters– seemingly as a result of the Omicron variant. While Spider-Man: No Way Home continues to break records, other releases like The 355 and West Side Story have failed to live up to their money making potential. It should be interesting to see how The Batman performs, but a PG-13 rating should presumably help it’s draw the box office.
Some fans have been worried that The Batman might be delayed again, a subject which was recently addressed by an exec at Warner Bros. Others are hoping that the blockbuster manages to make money, and therefore make room for Matt Reeves to create a sequel and TV spin offs for HBO Max. In the end, Robert Pattison’s debut as Bruce Wayne will be seen by the widest audience possible, which should hopefully result in major success.
The Batman will hit theaters on March 4th. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
