Pretty much every fan of the Merc with A Mouth agreed that the character's solo big-screen outing would benefit immensely from an R rating, so when it was made official the other day, we all rejoiced. The MPPA rated the movie R for "strong violence and language throughout, sexual content and graphic nudity," which all sounds awesome... unless you happen to be China.
According to THR, Tim Miller's Deadpool has been denied permission to screen in the Country, which is the world's second-largest movie market. Though China has no rating system for movies, their media regulator, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT), views all film imports and either approves or bans them outright. Usually the censors will work with the studios to make the appropriate cuts but apparently in this case "it wasn't possible to excise the offending material without causing plot problems."
Comic book movies tend to do huge business in China, so this could turn out to be a major blow to Deadpool's global box office haul. Anyway, the rest of us can enjoy Wade Wilson's R rated shenanigans when the movie hits theatres on February 12.
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.