Dredd classified 18 by the BBFC-yay!

[chuffsteruk]

http://www.bbfc.co.uk/BFF289356/

[Goaty]

Dammit, you post it first!

Wonderful news!

[Trout]

I don't really understand this sort of thing. Why is it good?

[Dandontdare]

is it? an 18 certificate means les potential audience = lower box office (especially in America) = less chance of sequel. Hollywood often bends over backwards to get a lower certificate (even if it means making some ridiculous edits) as it impacts massively on takings.

[JOE SOAP]

R-rated in the states is not the equivalent of 18 which would be their NC17. R-rated is like a 16 cert.

[JamesC]

I suppose it means that the film hasn't been cut and so remains the directors intended vision - hopefully meaning the film is more likely to be critically successful.
The fact that the film is relatively low-budget should mean that critical success and positive word of mouth will enable the film to take a couple of times it's budget at the box office.
I would think that a higher budget sequel (which seems almost inevitable if this film is a success) would be more likely to aim for a lower age rating as it will need to recoup more at the box office.

[IndigoPrime]

Dredd needs a lot of luck to do well at the cinema, and it's going to be interesting to see if there's enough of an audience. However, there's been positive response to its lack of compromise and echoing classic 1980s action movies that were released before everything had to be sanitised to be appropriate for children. So I also see this as a good thing, but only a couple of weeks after release will we know if it's a good thing anyone else will try for a few years.

[SmallBlueThing]

Indeed- this is 'good' news in the sense that the bbfc dont give out 18s easily for action/gore/horror these days, and certainly not just for splashy blood. 'bad' though, in the sense that that the potential initial uk audience has been dramatically reduced.

It has no effect on the american rating, other than possibly good word of mouth that it's a 'hard R' and therefore more appealing to an audience used to that rating meaning quite literally anything, and therefore being often disappointing.

In reality, all it means over here is an opportunity for those to whom such things are important to point and say "look, look, comics arent for kids!"

SBT

[radiator]

I think Dredd is unlikely to do spectacular box office whichever way you slice it - it's best chance of a sequel is to build an audience on home formats, so when the (15 certificate) sequel is released, it'll do much better theatrically. A bit like what Batman Begins/The Dark Knight did - on a smaller scale.

Who knows what will happen from here...

[Trout]

I suppose it reduces the possibility of having to share the cinema with groups of chatty teenagers.

[SmallBlueThing]

Thing is Trout, that if young will's experience is true across the board, then sadly yes it probably does. But if you were to go to any 18 ive been to since i was 15 years old, then no it wouldnt, because they were all packed with rowdy teenagers. I think, in the unlikely scenario of Dredd playing in my hometown (or closer than 20 miles away) and me going to see, i'd find it mostly 14-17 year olds in the audience.

SBT

[JOE SOAP]

At least it has chosen its audience rather than trying to serve the many which was a previous mistake. Even if Dredd had a lower rating in the States it wouldn't help its cause but at least it has a definite aim.

[Goaty]

At least it has chosen its audience rather than trying to serve the many which was a previous mistake. Even if Dredd had a lower rating in the States it wouldn't help its cause but at least it has a definite aim.

Totally agree Mr Soap.

[chuffsteruk]

At least it has chosen its audience rather than trying to serve the many which was a previous mistake. Even if Dredd had a lower rating in the States it wouldn't help its cause but at least it has a definite aim.

Precisely.

[JTurner]

Having just re-watched the trailer, I'd say it's the drug references that helped earn the 18 rather than the violence.