Captivity producers thumb noses at, risk ire of, MPAA
It seems the producers of Captivity just weren’t content to leave well enough alone. After narrowly avoiding having the MPAA pull the R rating the film got over the whole torture porn billboard situation, the movie is once again tempting that same fate. This time it’s because the film’s producers took the billboard art that had been taken down and used it to decorate the outside of the club where the premiere party was being held.
Having the R rating removed would mean a variety of things for the movie. For one, many exhibitors won’t touch it, meaning the chances for any sort of box-office success would essentially go out the window. Second, most newspapers, TV stations and other media outlets won’t run ads for unrated films, seeing them as too controversial and inappropriate for the mainstream audiences they court.
Karina at Spout does ask a good question when she wonders whether the MPAA actually has the power to pull a rating based on marketing materials and not the film itself. I would guess it does, and would claim such power even if it didn’t. They can’t afford to be seen as dropping the ball on this in any way since Congress is looking over the shoulder of the entire movie industry regarding marketing practices for R - and even PG-13 - rated movies.
It’s also important to remember that AfterDark is not actually a member of the MPAA, so the organization can slap the studio around as much as it likes. Had this been a production of a major studio we would not be having this discussion.
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