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Entertainment & Media
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How South Park's Creators Won an R-Rating Battle Against a Studio's Absurd Bluff
In 1999, Trey Parker and Matt Stone fought for an R-rating for their South Park movie against Paramount, which wanted a more profitable PG-13. The studio's absurd tactic? An executive feigned ignorance, asking if R-rated films made more money. The creators didn't fall for the bluff.
The Uncompromising World of South Park
In the late 1990s, South Park was a cultural juggernaut. It was rude, profane, and relentlessly satirical, and audiences couldn't get enough. When a feature film was announced, fans expected it to be what the title promised: bigger, longer, and uncut. Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone were committed to delivering just that. But their studio, Paramount Pictures, and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) had other ideas. The resulting conflict became a legendary battle of creative integrity versus corporate interest, highlighted by one of the most bizarre negotiating tactics in Hollywood history.
The NC-17 Nightmare
Parker and Stone wrote a musical epic filled with war, satanic lovers, and a litany of curse words that would make a sailor blush. Unsurprisingly, when they first submitted South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut to the MPAA, it was slapped with the dreaded NC-17 rating. In the eyes of a major studio, NC-17 is a commercial death sentence, severely limiting theatrical distribution and advertising opportunities. Paramount panicked. The studio needed, at minimum, an R rating. Parker and Stone were forced into a grueling cycle of making minuscule edits and resubmitting the film, only to receive the same NC-17 rating time and time again. The film went before the ratings board a total of six times, with the creators fighting tooth and nail to preserve their vision while trying to appease the censors.
A Question of Feigned Ignorance
As the release date loomed, the pressure from Paramount intensified. The studio pushed for a far more lucrative PG-13 rating, a move that would have gutted the film's entire spirit. Parker and Stone refused to budge, insisting the movie had to be R-rated to be authentic South Park. This led to a tense meeting where, according to writer and comedian Dana Gould, a Paramount executive resorted to an outrageous tactic. In a last-ditch effort to persuade the creators, the executive attempted a stunningly disingenuous bluff by feigning ignorance about basic film economics.
“So the executive says, 'Well, does R make more money than PG-13?' And it was this insane moment where he was pretending to not know the thing that he lived his life by.”
The question was absurd. Every executive in Hollywood knew that PG-13 films had a far broader audience and, therefore, vastly higher box office potential. The tactic was a transparent attempt to gaslight the creators into thinking the financial stakes weren't a big deal, hoping they'd concede. Parker and Stone, however, saw right through it. The bluff not only failed but further solidified their resolve to protect their work from corporate meddling.
Principle, Profit, and an Oscar Nod
Ultimately, Parker and Stone won. After their sixth submission, they finally secured the R rating they had fought so hard for, preserving the film's unapologetic humor. South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut was released in the summer of 1999 to critical acclaim and commercial success, grossing over $83 million worldwide on a $21 million budget. It proved that an R-rated animated film could be a blockbuster and that an audience would reward creators for refusing to compromise. The film even earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song with “Blame Canada,” cementing its place in cinema history not just as a brilliant comedy, but as a testament to the power of artistic integrity.