Once it was announced that Fifty Shades of Grey would be adapted into a movie, you knew there would be controversy over the rating. Or would there be? We’re just as shocked as anyone to report this, but the movie has gotten the R.
The NC-17 is still the scarlet letter for the movie business, and if a movie can’t get an R, it can’t get played in the major theater chains. In the case of Fifty Shades of Grey, controversy sure wouldn’t hurt the movie, and it would goose home video sales that could include deleted footage. Except this time the MPAA gave the movie the R.
As Collider and many other sources report, Grey got the R for “unusual behavior,” clearly referring to the S&M of the story. Actually, the entire rating description tells us the movie is R rated for “strong sexual content including dialog, some unusual behavior and graphic nudity, and for language.”
While I haven’t read Fifty Shades of Grey, I’m very grateful for that book because it’s helped keep the book business alive. We at TG aren’t sure how much the Grey phenomenon will continue from its initial explosion, but we’re sure it will have a big opening weekend when it opens on February 15.
