As soon as Murphy exited Los Angeles International Airport, he saw Bill Rossis. He and Gal Gadot got into the business car driven by Bill Rossis's driver, ignoring the reporters' questions around them, and headed straight for the Fox Tower in Century City.
In the car, Bill Rossis quickly explained the specific troubles "The Wolf of Wall Street" encountered.
The issue wasn't too complicated. The film had held a test screening that received quite positive feedback, and 20th Century Fox had launched a word-of-mouth publicity campaign based on the screening.
Everything went smoothly in this aspect.
Before leaving Los Angeles to attend the China-US Film Forum in Shanghai, Murphy had submitted the edited version of "The Wolf of Wall Street" to the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) for rating. Given the film's explicit content, neither he nor 20th Century Fox expected a PG-13 rating; they aimed for an R rating.
Only with an R rating could the film be widely released in North America.
The trouble arose during the rating process. The MPAA's review committee warned both 20th Century Fox and Stanton Studios that if the final cut remained as submitted, "The Wolf of Wall Street" would be rated NC-17.
This would mean the film couldn't be shown in mainstream theaters, leading to disastrous box office results.
Although the MPAA isn't an official government body but an industry association, all film distributors and theaters almost universally adhere to its guidelines, and Murphy and Stanton Studios were no exception.
Even those involved in illicit trades like drug and arms dealing follow certain rules, so it's not surprising that the legitimate film industry does as well.
Murphy met with Carla Faith at Fox Tower, where he saw the official notice from the MPAA regarding "The Wolf of Wall Street."
The notice was straightforward: the MPAA's review committee warned that if Murphy did not cut some of the explicit sex and nudity scenes, the film would be rated NC-17.
According to the American film rating system, films are categorized as: G, PG, PG-13, R, and NC-17. G-rated films are suitable for all audiences, such as "WALL-E," while NC-17 is the strictest rating, prohibiting viewers aged 17 and under due to explicit sexual and violent content.
Limiting the audience by age naturally affects the film's release scale and box office turnout. Murphy initially planned for an R rating, which restricts viewers but does not completely prohibit those under 17. An R rating would not significantly impact the film's release scale.
R-rated films cover a wide range, including those with substantial action and explosions or realistic portrayals.
"The best solution is to make cuts," Carla Faith said, pacing the office with her arms crossed. "Trim some of the scenes, and with some effort from the company, an R rating is achievable."
Murphy nodded, "We don't have much choice."
This is an industry rule that individual power can't fight against. He wasn't foolish enough to ignore the MPAA's warning. Appropriate cuts were necessary, though not all explicit scenes had to be removed. 20th Century Fox was a member of the MPAA, holding some influence over the rating process.
Strictly speaking, the MPAA represents the interests of Hollywood's Big Six studios, its primary members being Warner Bros., Walt Disney, Sony Columbia, Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, and 20th Century Fox.
This underscores the power of the Big Six in the industry. The idea of new companies challenging and dominating Hollywood is absurd. Not to mention other factors, just passing the MPAA's review would be challenging.
Films can be released without a rating, as there's no law in the United States mandating it. However, unclassified films are unlikely to be shown in 99% of North American theaters, and without box office revenue, subsequent merchandise income is a pipe dream.
The MPAA's rating process isn't as straightforward as the rigid standards across the Pacific, and its implementation can be inconsistent, often criticized. Yet, the review takes time; the MPAA can complete it in the shortest possible time or delay it to the maximum, easily affecting a film's release schedule.
The Big Six rarely use such underhanded tactics because they don't need to. Controlling the distribution channels alone can strangle countless small and new film companies.
In recent years, Lionsgate has thrived with some fan-favorite series, seemingly poised to become Hollywood's seventh major studio, similar to DreamWorks at its peak. However, industry insiders know that once these fan series conclude, Lionsgate will likely revert to its former status, not much better than DreamWorks.
Murphy remembered clearly that Lionsgate eventually faced financial difficulties, even considering selling shares to companies across the Pacific for necessary funding.
"How long will it take you to make the cuts?" Carla Faith asked Murphy. "Do we need to change the release date?"
With October approaching and the film set to release in early November, if the edits took too long, they'd need to adjust the release date. They couldn't wait until the last minute, risking incomplete edits and re-review by the MPAA, which would complicate things tenfold and impact the box office.
Changing the release date is a significant decision for any film. Murphy considered it seriously for a while before saying, "You need to talk to our representative at the MPAA. Find out exactly which scenes need to be modified."
Carla Faith nodded, "I'll handle that."
"Once we know, I can decide how to modify it."
Editing a film isn't as simple as removing a sensitive scene. From nearly a thousand minutes of footage, Murphy had gone through rough cuts, fine cuts, and review edits to finalize the version submitted to the MPAA. Scenes are interconnected, with many having callbacks, so even explicit scenes might be integral to the film's flow.
Cutting a key scene between the leads might require re-editing entire sequences or segments.
Editing is a time-consuming process.
Murphy continued, "Once we know what needs to be changed, I can estimate the time required."
"Okay," Carla Faith acknowledged the reality that expecting an immediate answer was unrealistic. "I'll contact our MPAA representative now. Afterward, I need a specific timeline from you."
"Got it," Murphy nodded seriously.
If the release date needed changing, the sooner they knew, the less the negative impact.
Neither Murphy nor 20th Century Fox wanted to change "The Wolf of Wall Street" release date unless absolutely necessary.
In Hollywood, film scheduling follows a highly developed system. Since Spielberg's "Jaws" opened the summer blockbuster season in 1975, each year's release strategy has become a critical skill for Hollywood executives.
Studios typically finalize the release dates of major films six months to a year in advance, allowing ample time to plan marketing strategies. Like Murphy's previous film promotions, they can meticulously plan different approaches and channels at each stage, creating buzz to ensure box office success.
"Unless absolutely necessary," Murphy told Gal Gadot in the car back to Echo Park Manor, "studios rarely change release dates."
Gal Gadot nodded, "There must be reasons for that, right?"
On her path to becoming a producer, she wanted to understand every aspect of the industry.
"Basically, there are two main reasons."
Murphy considered her needs and continued, "First, if the initial release date has already been publicized to audiences, changing it can cause significant inconvenience. Viewers eagerly anticipating a weekend release only to find it postponed can lead to a PR disaster via social media."
He raised a second finger, "Secondly, changing the release date can disrupt marketing plans. Studios typically release trailers months in advance, secure TV ad slots three to four weeks prior, and ramp up multi-platform promotions a week before release. Changing the date forces the marketing department to redo the entire plan, wasting time and resources."
From every perspective, Murphy didn't want to change "The Wolf of Wall Street" release date. But some things were beyond personal control. After receiving a fax from Carla Faith, Murphy saw that many sensitive scenes were critical. Simply removing them would disrupt the film's flow, necessitating re-editing of those scenes.
Fortunately, a major overhaul of the film wasn't required, meaning Murphy wouldn't need to spend months re-editing.
He called in Jodie Griffiths, and after discussing it all morning, they estimated that adjusting the film would take about twenty-five days. Adding the MPAA review time, releasing "The Wolf of Wall Street" in early November seemed unrealistic.
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