With "Deadpool" a runaway hit, everyone's scrambling to cash in on the formula that gave the Merc with a Mouth good fortune, but not Disney. Talking to investors Thursday, Bob Iger made it clear that the studio has no plans of making R-rated Marvel movies.
It may be possible to decipher what made "Deadpool" click, but replicating the movie's results is another story. However, 20th Century Fox is already on it, rumored to be considering giving the next "Wolverine" movie an R-rating as well. Warner Bros. is also on the same path, promising the home video version of "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" will carry the rating.
Why isn't Disney following suit?
It's not so surprising, actually. While the studio has released R-rated movies in the past through Touchstone Pictures and Miramax, focusing on a mature audience is not part of Disney's current business plan, which has been developed to highlight four-quadrant blockbusters targeting all age groups and dramas that heavy but not provocative. Not to mention that Marvel already has an avenue to explore adult themes: TV.
According to "Deadpool" writers Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese, the lesson people should be taking from the movie is not that being rated R will make for a great superhero film. Instead, it's about risks. "Deadpool" took a risk and the result just happened to be R-rated.
"I think that's entirely missing the point," said Reese, talking about how people are trying to analyze what went right with their movie and applying those into their own.
"We just went off on our own path, and if there is a lesson, it's to encourage and nurture that."
Marvel is no stranger to risks, taking their own with movies like "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Ant-Man" before. However, neither works required an R rating and still got more than a decent performance in the box office. If it isn't broke, don't fix it, right?
