[Chapter 208: Movie Rating]
After two weeks of nonstop overtime, Ryan had completed the post-production of Happy Death Day and presented the director's rough cut.
Considering that he had to head to the farm the next day, Linton, who had just rushed back to Los Angeles, overcame his exhaustion from the journey and organized a screening of the director's cut in the afternoon.
Besides Kenneth, Ryan, Harvey, and Clinsman, several key members from the distribution department were present. Additionally, to consider the movie's rating and international release, Levitt from Universal's distribution team and some of his staff were invited to watch as well.
The film wasted no time on plot buildup. Within the first few minutes, a killer wearing a ghost face mask swiftly stabbed the protagonist, Cristiana, to death. Then, Cristiana instantly revived, appearing in her dorm room as if nothing happened, despite moments ago lying bloodied on the floor. Latest content published on novel(ꜰ)ire.net
Just when everyone thought things were settled, Cristiana's destined fate reoccurred -- she was stabbed to death again.
To survive till tomorrow, she needed to find the murderer. Cristiana died in various creative ways while desperately trying to eliminate suspects.
Since death was inevitable, she decided to live boldly, experimenting with different ways to make her days more exciting and daring. She even dared to go out in the nude because no one but herself retained memories across the resets.
However, the endless cycle of death and revival came at a price. The accumulated physical damage weakened her body. Continuing this way, she risked permanent death during one stabbing, unable to come back. Fortunately, she eventually found the true culprit.
The film was well done and closely matched the original version. The story was terrifying and tense but also carried moments of levity.
During editing, Ryan kept in mind Linton's advice that "the core of a commercial film is its audience." The pacing was brisk, with no superfluous scenes, keeping viewers fully engrossed.
The entire movie ran 91 minutes, and with credits, the total length wouldn't exceed 95 minutes.
After watching, Linton was very satisfied. It seemed Ryan had matured into a commercial film director.
"This is definitely a top-notch horror movie. I couldn't take my eyes off it the entire time. I'm sure it will be a hit."
"The time loop concept was fresh. Cristiana's performance was fantastic -- all sorts of inventive deaths and her investigation into the killer made it exciting."
"Cristiana and Monica are stunning. Seeing two gorgeous women locked in love and rivalry was thrilling."
"Watching beautiful Cristiana get killed over and over broke my heart repeatedly. But when she found the murderer, it was such a relief."
Everyone eagerly shared their impressions, impressed by the film's quality and excitement, confident in its box office potential.
Levitt displayed a complex expression, impressed by Linton Films' capabilities. It seemed Linton himself was exceptional, producing another outstanding low-budget gem in such a short time, possibly replicating the success of The Shallows.
Unfortunately, the North American distribution was not handled by Universal. Fortunately, overseas distribution rights were already signed, so waiting was unnecessary. The North American box office could easily surpass $15 million, even reaching $50 million, making international release inevitable.
"Linton, congratulations on making such a fantastic film again. I think we can start preparing for overseas distribution now."
"Thank you. Actually, the reason I invited you all today was to ensure the film's quality and prepare for international release."
"Have you finalized the release date?"
"Yes, it's set for October 29, just in time for Halloween."
"Good timing. We should get ready to release internationally, ideally starting overseas by the second week."
"Besides that, I'd like your help with something."
"No problem, go ahead."
"Before release, an important task is to get Happy Death Day rated. I'm worried that if we submit it ourselves to the MPAA, the intense bloody scenes might land us an R rating. That would severely impact ticket sales."
North America's film market had a strict rating system. The MPAA consisted of seven seats, each occupied by one of Hollywood's major studios, representing the industry's top power players.
In other words, the MPAA was essentially controlled by Hollywood's big studios, naturally protecting their interests.
The MPAA rating system included five classifications:
1. G (General Audience): Suitable for all ages, especially children. No nudity, sex, drugs, or violence; dialogues are everyday.
2. PG (Parental Guidance Suggested): Parents advised to accompany; some content might be unsuitable for kids. Mild violence, horror, or suggestive content allowed, but no sustained nudity or sexual scenes.
3. PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned): Not recommended for under-13 unless accompanied by a parent. Includes some violence, brief nudity, or mild profanity but no prolonged intense violence or sex scenes.
4. R (Restricted): Under 17 requires parental accompaniment. Contains significant sex, violence, drug use, or profanity.
5. NC-17: Only for adults 18 and over. Extreme violence, explicit sex, or very intense content, distinct from pornography.
These ratings dramatically influenced a film's audience and box office performance.
In practice, the MPAA wasn't as objective as people assumed. For films made by the big seven studios, the rules were looser.
For example, last year Warner's Batman Returns was quite graphic but still rated PG-13, showing the flexibility allowed.
But for films from small companies without backing, the MPAA often imposed stricter standards, elevating ratings if a film fell into a gray area.
For Happy Death Day, if Universal submitted it for rating, it would almost certainly get PG-13. But if Linton Films submitted it, the chances of an R rating were high.
An R rating would reduce the box office by at least 30%, a considerable loss that Linton chose not to risk.
Fortunately, since Universal held overseas release rights and had aligned interests, Levitt quickly agreed to let Universal handle the MPAA rating submission for the film.
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