Before Venom arrived in cinemas in late 2018, many fans wondered what rating the film would be given. Would it buck the trend of most comic book movies and open in theatres with an R-rating (like Deadpool or Logan) or would it be given a more family-friendly approach?
Well, as fans soon discovered, Venom was not given an R-rating and instead was handed a PG-13 in the US (a 15 certificate in the UK). This put the film a little more in line with the Spider-Man movies, rather than allowing it to go into adult-only territory.
Did it hurt the film?
Nope!
Despite a more ‘youth’ friendly approach Venom made over $880 million at the box office.
So, a good choice, right?
Maybe.
But earlier this year, the R-rated Joker opened in cinemas and made over $1 billion at the worldwide box office. This helped to argue the case that R-ratings can be huge earners.
So, could Joker‘s success lead to an R-rated Venom sequel?
Possibly.
But probably not.
Speaking to Cinemablend, Venom producer Matt Tolmach said: “I mean, I think you always have to think about [it], now that that works. Having said that, our movie worked really well.
“Our franchise exists as it is, and I don’t think anybody is looking to just say, ‘Hey, they [did it]!’ We have a place in the world. So it isn’t like suddenly everybody’s considering what to do with the rating.
“I think what Joker does is it tells you that you can succeed. For a very long time, that was the narrative. And Deadpool sort of wrestled that to the turf, and then Logan, but for a long time, that was considered totally forbidden.
“So you know, I think it’s the greatest thing in the world that R-rated movies are being embraced by massive audiences. And it just means that there are more opportunities for that kind of storytelling.”
So, while it is still a consideration, it’s likely that Venom 2 – which is currently being filmed – will stick with the PG-13 rating. Will this be a good thing? Only time will tell.
But we don’t have too long to wait to see the results of Venom 2. The movie is scheduled to arrive in cinemas during the latter half of 2020.
Details on Venom 2 are being kept under wraps at present, but a few little titbits have surfaced. For example, we know Andy Serkis is in the director’s chair, and Tom Hardy will reprise the role of Eddie Brock/Venom, and over the weekend, it has also been revealed that The Irishman actor, Stephen Graham has been added to the cast.
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