Terminator: Dark Fateand the reboot ofThe Grudgeare going to be quite a bit dark, as each movie has officially been given an R-rating. While the first three installments of theTerminatorseries were rated R, the fourth and fifth moviesSalvationandGenisyswere given PG-13 ratings, meaningDark Fatewill be the first R-ratedTerminatormovie sinceRise of the Machines.
According to the MPAA,Terminator: Dark Fatewas given its R-rating for “language throughout, violence, and brief nudity.” As forThe Grudge, both the original American version from 2004 and its 2006 sequel were rated PG-13, though the direct-to-video third movie was R-rated. The new movie’s R-rating is due to “disturbing violence and bloody images, terror and some language.”
BecauseSarah Connorwas killed off in the thirdTerminatormovie,Dark Fatebrings back Linda Hamilton in the role by only acknowledging the first two installments. Arnold Schwarzenegger also returns as the titular machine, with Gabriel Luna, Natalia Reyes, and Mackenzie Davis also starring. Edward Furlong has been reported to reprise the role of John Connor in the movie as well. Because the past few sequels in the series failed to meet the box office expectations of the studio, it will be interesting to see if bringing the franchise back into R-rated territory will have a positive effect on attendance. We’ll find out soon enough when the movie premieres on the first of November.
The Grudgeserves as a reboot of the horror franchise, though it’s said to be set in the same concurrent timeline as the 2004 movie. In recent years,R-rated horror movieshave proven to be very profitable, so it’s not surprising to see theGrudgefranchise presenting a much darker version of the story than the one we saw with Sarah Michelle Gellar. Directed by Nicolas Pesce, the movie stars Andrea Riseborough, Demian Bichir, John Cho, Betty Gilpin, Lin Shaye, and Jacki Weaver. It follows a single mother and young detective (Riseborough) who discovers that a suburban house is cursed by a vengeful ghost that dooms those who enter it with a violent death.
Studios pushing for PG-13 over Rwhen it comes to movie ratings has largely been business decisions, with the thinking that allowing more younger viewers to watch the movie will only increase ticket sales. To prove that there’s a place for profitable R-rated movies, we need to look no further than what’s currently dominating theaters. For two weeks in a row,Jokerhas maintained its spot as the No. 1 movie in America, also pulling in insane amounts of money from ticket sales across the planet. Because of its disturbing content, the movie has not been without its controversy, but its success does show there is definitely a strong market for more mature movies.
With or without their R-ratings, we’ll see how the upcoming movies ultimately perform at the box office when they are released.Terminator: Dark Fatewill be hitting the big screen on Aug 04, 2025, whileThe Grudgewill be making its big screen debut on Jun 08, 2025. This news comes to us fromFilmRatings.com.
