Scarlett Johansson’s full nudity in ‘Asteroid City’ does not prevent it from being suitable for under 18s
The age restrictions are not just an icon that appears at the beginning of the films. By establishing what percentage of the audience can go to theaters both inside and outside Spain, influence the economic future of the title.: they limit or expand the theoretical population allowed to pass through the box office.
Therefore, when the Motion Picture Association of America (MPPA) endorsed Asteroid City an R for “Restricted to over 18 and under 17 in adult company”, its director, Wes Andersonappealed the decision.
The reason behind the MPAA’s classification was “full nudity”: specifically, that of Scarlett Johanssonwho plays one of countless characters in the film. However, Wes Anderson and his legal team felt that Johansson’s full nudity barely lasted the length of a blink of an eye, and that such a brevity could constitute a mitigating factor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBu9q8GU9ME
“Suggestive material”
The courts ruled in his favor and Asteroid City was downgraded from an R to a PG-13a brand that does not bar anyone from entering theatresbut warns parents of those interested in attending that the film in question may be inappropriate for children under 13 years of age.
In addition to Scarlett Johansson’s fleeting nudity, MPAA has noted that. Asteroid City shows people smoking and some “suggestive material” such as, for example, two people entering a hotel for the obvious purpose of having sex.
R for Risk at the box office
Wes Anderson’s latest film, The French Chroniclereceived an unappealable R for full nudity, sexual references and foul language.. The Spanish criteria were more lax and the 2021 feature film was released in our country with the rating “recommended for over 12 years of age”.
The same happened with Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), one of the Texan filmmaker’s most highly rated films: in the United States, children under 17 years of age had to go to the movies accompanied by their parents, while in Spain, the age to attend the movies alone was reduced to twelve.
In any case, for Grand Budapest Hotelthe restrictive rating did not lead to a box-office problem but rather the opposite: so far, the film starring Ralph Fiennes is, with 172 millionthe highest grossing of all Wes Anderson’s films. Much worse was The French Chroniclewhich remained far from exceeding $50 million. This shows that while the MPAA rating is influential, it never has the final say in the success or failure of a film.
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