Harvey Weinstein is unsatisfied with the $60 million that The King’s Speech (nominated for several Oscars) has pulled in so far. He wants to expand the film from 1,680 theaters to around 2,500. All well and good, until you hear that the executive producer’s plans to get more people to see the film. He wants to make a dangerous attempt to edit down instances of profanity in the film to reduce the rating to a PG-13.
Gratuitous cursing is what made the MPAA bestow an R rating in the first place, according to the LA Times. This is kind of important to the film’s plot however, since King George VI works out his stuttering problem by swearing with his speech therapist.
Weinstein says he’s editing profanity out so families can see the film together, noting that the British rating, only 12+, produced great numbers. Still, that means that the MPAA is the problem for giving the film an R, not the film itself. Call me crazy, but I also have a feeling many kids aren’t interested in this film.
The additional theaters are set to be added after the Oscars on February 27, after they assumedly grab some awards for the creativity they’re about to compromise. Three weeks later, the film will expand to 3,000 theaters. Weinstein says he’s contacted director Tom Hooper to help him with the edits, but even then, you should go see it now if want to see the film as it was originally intended.
[LA Times via First Showing]
