SteveL
Super Freak
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- Feb 24, 2009
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Yes, next to nothing compared to the benefits on the back end(they do it all the time anyway for home release where they really see no extra revenue). R rating does not just add "gratuitous sex and violence", and even if it did people might prefer that and go see a movie they otherwise wouldn't.
A movie rating that allows entire families or groups of friends to enjoy watching a movie together, in the theater, is going to put more "***** in the seats" than one with a more restricted rating. The studios are always hedging their bets on what's going to sell more tickets in the theater. If it's not absolutely necessary to the context of the story line to release a movie with a restricted rating,then you don't need multiple rated versions to meet different markets.
Multiple rated versions of a movie result in also needing to create and store multiple files of a film and then needing to load the appropriate files onto multiple hard drives for distribution to the all those theaters in all those different markets.
It might come as a surprise to you,but most of the "profit" comes with the redistribution to the home market via streaming and physical media.Plus you have the licensing and merchandising aspect. The ticket sales at the theater are mainly to recoup the cost of making the movie IE. repaying investors. And yes, if it's a highly successful film, as far as ticket sales are concerned,profit from the additional ticket sales are also added to the mix.
Redistribution to the home market would be where a "director's cut", "age restricted" or an "unrated" version would stand the best chance of being more cost effective.