Following a social media flurry, a spokesperson for Warner Bros. Pictures has confirmed to IGN that the proper R-rated theatrical cut of 2020’s “Birds of Prey” will be restored to their HBO Max SVOD service.
Eagle-eyed viewers over the holiday weekend discovered that the version of the Margot Robbie and Ewan McGregor-led DC Comics adaptation being shown on the service was an edited one that had been toned down from the original. In the process, plenty of visual gags and swears were gone.
Once revealed, news of this censored ‘PG-13’ cut spread fast on social media. A spokesperson tells the outlet that the film’s broadcast version was added on accident and the proper theatrical version will replace it shortly.
Still, it has raised the topic of film preservation and how what is essentially an operational error could be seen as an accidental erasing of film history. Film preservation is an issue expected to become more of a hot topic in the future as the streaming age’s domination takes greater hold.