Your film, THE KING’S SPEECH, was just nominated for 12 Oscars, the most of any film this year. So what do you do? If you’re Harvey Weinstein, you do what you do best – you take the film in the editing room and start cutting away. Yup, Harvey Scissorhands is thinking of reediting a just-Oscar-nominated film.
While the Weinsteins are seemingly pleased that SPEECH was nominated for 12 Oscars, they seem less pleased that they haven’t seen the Oscar buzz bump that many other films – like BLACK SWAN, TRUE GRIT and SOCIAL NETWORK – have received. The Weinstein Co. took a look at the British box-office, where the film has been #1 for three straight weeks with the equivalent of a PG-13 rating and decided that the MPAA’s R-rating is slowing the US box-office.
While it’s not a done deal, Weinstein is “discussing” the idea of reediting the film to a PG-13 or even a PG with director Tom Hooper. Says Weinstein of the moves, “We’re trying to get across that this movie is just as cool as the other movies people are seeing.” Seriously. I didn’t make that quote up.
In addition to aiming for a new rating, they’ll also be increasing the amount of screens for the film (up from 1,680 to 2,500) and will focus the ad campaign away from the awards and accolades and more to the friendship between Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush’s characters.
TWC had appealed the R-rating for KING’S SPEECH before its release but was denied by the MPAA. The slightly less strict BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) gave the film a 12+ rating leading the Weinsteins to believe this is why the film is so much more popular in the UK (it couldn’t possibly be because the English are slightly more interested in a film about the British Monarchy…)
If Hooper and Weinstein decide to reedit the film, the new cut likely wouldn’t be ready for theaters until after the Oscar telecast in late-February.
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