The Batman, the upcoming Warner Bros. and DC superhero film from director Matt Reeves, has officially been rated PG-13 by the Classification and Rating Administration. Given the gritty, darker tone seen in the trailers, many expected it to receive an R-rating, but it looks like this isn’t really the case.
The official MPA rating for The Batman will be PG-13, following the long tradition of most live-action Batman films receiving the same age restriction. Previously, Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy of films all received the same rating, as well as Zack Snyder’s take on the character with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
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The description for The Batman’s age restriction reads:
“Rated PG-13 for strong violent and disturbing content, drug content, strong language, and some suggestive material.”
Rumours previously believed that The Batman would be the first to receive an R-rating, given its grittier subject matter and serial killer focus on The Riddler. However, Warner Bros. will certainly want as many people as possible to watch the movie, especially during the current pandemic which is already affecting box office numbers.
Just recently, Spider-Man: No Way Home managed to break $1 billion at the global box office, cementing it as one of the most successful comic book films of all time. Before that, Deadpool, Deadpool 2, Logan and Joker managed to score equally impressive box office numbers – and it’s worth noting that those were all R-rated. Perhaps Warner Bros. is simply being cautious in these tough times by making the film PG-13 and available to wider audiences to boost ticket sales.
However, the PG-13 rating hasn’t swayed previous Batman films from featuring pretty gritty and often disturbing content. The Dark Knight received a PG-13 rating too, despite it pushing the boundaries of violence and graphic material in some cases. The late Heath Ledger still managed to turn in a brilliantly sadistic and award-winning performance as The Joker, so Paul Dano may rise to the occasion by delivering a far darker take on The Riddler.
The Batman arrives exclusively in cinemas on 4 March 2022.
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Source: Film Ratings
