Despite any misgivings moviegoers may have had with Venom, it appears that the cons were outweighed by the pros as the flick ultimately proved to be a box office powerhouse. Because of that, a followup within the next few years is more than likely. And with its home video release now upon us, it’s hard not noticing that there’s no unrated cut along for the ride.
Ever since this project got off the ground, True Believers naturally assumed that Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock would be placed next to Logan and Deadpool as recently successful and acclaimed R-rated comic book movies. And though the character of Venom most definitely lends itself to such a branding by the MPAA, Sony instead opted for a PG-13. In the end, it was probably the right move because it assured that more tickets be sold.
Still, the home video market is fair game for extended and unrated cuts, but according to director Ruben Fleischer, we probably shouldn’t hold our breath waiting for such a thing to see the light of day. Here’s what he had to say in a recent interview with LRM:
“I’m proud of the movie we’ve put out, and I think that the additional material on the DVD adds a little bit of color to the film. I don’t feel the need at this point to release an unrated version, I feel like fans seem to really like the movie that we put out.”
While it remains to be seen if Venom fans spam discussion threads on Twitter with posts similar to “release the Snyder Cut,” I guess we’ll just have to keep content with the existing version. And if you happen to be an avid collector, there are several different retailer exclusive editions to add to your shelf.
Given all we’ve discussed today, I’d say it’s fair to assume that future Venom sequels also be rated PG-13 in order to hopefully assure similar impressive box office takes. Not only that, but you know Sony still has a crossover with Spider-Man in the back of their mind, and they’ll no doubt want packed theaters for such an event.
