'Bully' the word itself explains a lot. It's a documentary/movie that showcases the effect of bullying on five school children's & their families. It's an element of sophisticated & sensitive nature.
Weinstein company decided to produce this documentary/movie with a hope that it might bring up a positive change in the society. Since being a documentary, some contents might be of disturbing nature.
A film of that nature would not be easy to release so the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) & Weinstein Co. went under a heated battle for the rating MPAA had given to the film. MPAA gave 'R' rating to the movie (Restricted: under 17 requires accompanying adult or guardian) which did not seem fair for this documentary. But 'Bully' did not fall back, it scored a solid $23,294 per-screen average at five domestic locations & a total $116,472 three-day take. Weinstein also launched an un-rated pic which is a risk as it is then considered as NC-17 (No child under 17 can watch the film).
Then, in an unusual move, on April 5 Weinstein announced that "aided by the guidance" of attorneys David Boies and Ted Olson, MPAA had lowered the R rating to a PG-13 (some material may be inappropriate for children under 13), just in time for the film's April 13 expansion to 55 markets.
"It's a tough subject," admits Weinstein distribution head Erik Lomis, "but for the most part, people stood up and recognized that this is a picture that deserves to be seen."
The film, when rated R, played best to teen audience, with 91% rating the film highly. And while 18-and-under audience repped only 10% of the bow, Lomis says any positive reaction among teens is encouraging.
The MPAA made an exception by allowing a film to be re-rated before the usual 90-day period required for such a change. I say Bravo! Weinstein Co.
Here is the promo.
Weinstein company decided to produce this documentary/movie with a hope that it might bring up a positive change in the society. Since being a documentary, some contents might be of disturbing nature.
A film of that nature would not be easy to release so the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) & Weinstein Co. went under a heated battle for the rating MPAA had given to the film. MPAA gave 'R' rating to the movie (Restricted: under 17 requires accompanying adult or guardian) which did not seem fair for this documentary. But 'Bully' did not fall back, it scored a solid $23,294 per-screen average at five domestic locations & a total $116,472 three-day take. Weinstein also launched an un-rated pic which is a risk as it is then considered as NC-17 (No child under 17 can watch the film).
Then, in an unusual move, on April 5 Weinstein announced that "aided by the guidance" of attorneys David Boies and Ted Olson, MPAA had lowered the R rating to a PG-13 (some material may be inappropriate for children under 13), just in time for the film's April 13 expansion to 55 markets.
"It's a tough subject," admits Weinstein distribution head Erik Lomis, "but for the most part, people stood up and recognized that this is a picture that deserves to be seen."
The film, when rated R, played best to teen audience, with 91% rating the film highly. And while 18-and-under audience repped only 10% of the bow, Lomis says any positive reaction among teens is encouraging.
The MPAA made an exception by allowing a film to be re-rated before the usual 90-day period required for such a change. I say Bravo! Weinstein Co.
Here is the promo.
This documentary will be worth every second. Film releases on 13th April 2012 (USA).