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Sunday
28Jun2009

'District 9' Is Rated R, Thankfully

DateSunday, June 28, 2009 at 2:00AM
District 9, the feature debut of director and Peter Jackson protege Neill Blomkamp, opens this August. I was worried for a while that the studio just didn't know what to do with it. We weren't seeing much about it, even three months before its release. That has all changed.

A great trailer, killer posters and outdoor advertising, and a viral website have all been introduced, and while the spotlight on this film isn't as bright as the one on The Dark Knight last year, I think District 9 has probably been the film with the most interesting marketing, if not the most aggressive.

Now comes even more good news for the alien refugees in South Africa movie: The MPAA has rated it R for bloody violence and pervasive language.

In a summer marred by several disappointing box office returns for R-rated films sanitized for PG-13 audiences, like Terminator Savlation, Drag Me to Hell, and Year One, Sony had the guts to put all its eggs in the adult basket.

Who knows if the plan all along was to go for the restricted rating or not; the MPAA is hard to figure. Slumdog is R, but Year One, which has more scatalogical imagery, gets a PG-13. Amelie is R, Fast and Furious isn't. But Sony apparently isn't challenging the ruling, and in fact, has been embracing adults all summer long (with the curious exception of Year One).

I think the rating and the opening date (August 14th) are a great strategy. Even though there are films that will share its audience, like some segment of Transformers, Trek, and Potter, this is coming the week after G.I. Joe, which...who the hell knows? If that's a bad movie, District 9 may attract a big crowd of people once again thirsty for some intelligent blood and guts.

AuthorColin Boyd | | in , , | Print ArticlePrint Article | | CommentPost a Comment |

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