What Spell Did Marvel Cast on the MPA for ‘Doctor Strange 2’ to Receive a PG-13 Rating?
variety.comClayton Davis I’ve never been one to strictly follow ratings advice, and neither did my parents: The first two movie theater experiences of my life were “Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers” (1989) and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991), at the tender ages of four and six.
During “Halloween,” I ran out of the theater once a rake was shoved into the forehead of a sheriff, so I didn’t find out how the movie ended for another decade.
But despite my early indoctrination into horror, when friends have asked, “Can I bring my kids to see ‘Doctor Strange’ this weekend,” I’ve answered, “I don’t think I would.” The Motion Picture Association’s film ratings board has existed since 1968, but the system created to assist parents in deciding what films are appropriate for children continues to make sometimes-inexplicable choices that can leave parents as confused as ever.
Take Marvel Studios’ “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” described by Marvel head Kevin Feige as the franchise’s first horror film, which received a PG-13 rating despite “intense sequences of violence and action, frightening images and some language.” One frequent criticism is that independent distributors are subject to more rigid standards than major studios.
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