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R-Rated "The King's Speech" to be Pulled From Theaters April 1st, Replaced by PG-13 Version

Posted on Friday, March 25, 2011 3:10 PM

The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that the original R-rated version of The King's Speech, the one that received five Academy Awards (including Best Picture), and was nominated for an additional seven, is being pulled by the studio and replaced with the PG-13 version that has been created, which we have so creatively titled The King's Speech (PG-13 version).

Click the Read link below to view the full article on The Hollywood Reporter's web site.

The PG-13 version has some of the harsher language replaced with less harsh language, presumably with the goal of reaching a wider audience.

The last day that you'll be able to see the unedited version is March 31, 2011, so if you want to see this movie the same way the director intended, the screenwriter intended, the way Colin Firth spoke in it, and the way it received all of its awards and nominations, head over to the Showtimes page and find a theater playing it near you.

The PG-13 version will open in 1,000 screens on April 1, 2011. The article mentions that "The Weinstein Co. believes the PG-13 version will generate box office revenues that otherwise would have been left on the table." I can't imagine that teenagers have been anxiously waiting to see this movie; by themselves, without their parents.

The absurdity of thinking that replacing a few "f" words with "s" words, muting a few more, and giving it a more family-friendly rating will attract more audiences, and the fact that the PG-13 version will be replacing it on April 1st makes one think that this might be a poorly done April Fool's joke. But alas, there's no "gotcha!" at the end of the article.

Blu-ray Cover Art
The King's Speech will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on April 19, 2011.

This is a bad idea, and one that we can only hope will not be translated into the edited version being the only one available when the movie is released on Blu-ray and DVD in April (see links to the right).

Given the fact that the changes are only in the audio, hopefully the studio will provide both soundtracks, with the original R-rated, Award-winning, and inoffensive to anyone old enough that would actually be interested in such a movie version as the default.

There's no mention in any of the paperwork that I could find that talks about alternate soundtracks, and the Amazon pages for the home video releases still refer to the movie as being R-rated, so here's hoping that this mistake hasn't been transferred to what will probably be the only way that most people will be able to see this movie for years to come.

Given that the movie was released at the end of December, and given the attention it has received from getting so many awards and nominations, I would have to guess that the audience that was going to see this movie has already seen it. If I'm wrong about the need for a teen-rated version of the movie, we'll see a big spike in ticket sales, but I can't imagine it.



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Mar 28, 2011 - George Jobson VIP Member

I perfer the R rated version of "The King's Speech" to the toned down PG-13 version. I won't see the PG-13 version of the movie.  

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