"Fifty Shades of Grey" has eked out an R rating ahead of its Feb. 13 theatrical release for Valentine's Day, a break that will allow a large chunk of younger potential viewers into the theater if they are accompanied by an adult.
For over a year, fans of the eponymous erotic 2011 novel by E. L. James have wondered if the film would receive an NC-17 (No Children 17 and Under Admitted), because of strong depictions of bondage-based sex.
The movie's screenwriter, Kelly Marcel, even told an interviewer the film would be "raunchy."
"We are 100 percent going there," she said. "It will be rated NC-17."
Instead,
Variety reported that the the Motion Picture Association of America has granted an R rating for "strong sexual content including dialogue," "graphic nudity," and – curiously – "some unusual behavior."
That means that anyone under 17 will need an adult chaperone present to be admitted to the movie. An NC-17 rating would bar those under 17 from seeing the movie with or without a chaperone.
An NC-17 designation would definitely hurt ticket sales, and in some parts of the country means theaters wouldn't show it, so in the end, it's likely studio executives decided to edit the film to meet the R rating.
Casting for the film was announced long ago, with Charlie Hunnam starring as Christian Grey and Dakota Johnson starring opposite as Anastasia Steele.
Hunnam has said in previous interviews that he visited sex dungeons and other BDSM venues while studying for his role as the sexually dominant Grey.
"If people are into that they’re into that," he's said.
"By the way, if people make such a hoo-hah about the violence against women aspect of it, it’s far more common for men to be the submissive. And it’s consensual! There’s weirder sh** than that. I think plane spotting is far weirder than S&M. That I really don’t get. I can understand why people are into S&M, but standing outside Heathrow Terminal 5 waiting for Ryanair to come in?"
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