'Black Widow' Gets Rating, Tells "Horrifying" Story

The long-delayed Marvel film, Black Widow, has finally gotten its official rating.

Related: Disney’s Big ‘Black Widow’ Gamble and the Future of the MCU

Exhibitor Relations Co. shared the following information on Twitter today:

Marvel’s BLACK WIDOW is finally a picture lock. Just in time for its release in May…er…July.

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence/action, some language and thematic material.

Marvel's BLACK WIDOW is finally a picture lock. Just in time for its release in May…er…July.

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence/action, some language and thematic material.

— Exhibitor Relations Co. (@ERCboxoffice) April 7, 2021

Related: Katee Sackhoff Thought Scarlett Johansson Would Play Bo-Katan Instead of Her

This MPAA rating comes as no surprise.

The previous Marvel Studios movies featuring Avenger characters, including Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man trilogy (2008-2014), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Black Panther (2018), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019) have all also received PG-13 ratings from the Motion Picture Association of America.

Related: Scarlett Johansson Struck a Chord With Fans With Black Widow Joke

Per Yahoo! Movies UK, Black Widow actress Florence Pugh shared the following details about the movie’s upsetting plot in the Marvel Studios’ Black Widow: The Official Movie Special Book:

“The storyline that we are telling is very horrifying. It’s about women that have been, essentially, abused and trained up to be killing machines [in the Red Room]. As Scarlett said over and over, this is the right time for her to be telling [Black Widow’s] story. And we’re not shying away from the fact that this story is essentially about women getting their life back.”

In the same book, Pugh noted that her character and Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff “repair one another and each other’s holes in their lives.”

Related: Vera Farmiga to Have Huge Role in Marvel’s ‘Hawkeye’?

Just recently, The Walt Disney Company confirmed that Black Widow will have a simultaneous release on Disney+ and in movie theaters.

The Marvel prequel movie starring Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow and Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova will be a Disney+ Premier Access title. It is expected to cost an additional $29.99 like both prior Premier Access titles, Mulan (2020) and Raya and the Last Dragon (2021).

Related: First Official Glimpse of Marvel Multiverse Is Here

This news of a simultaneous release came after Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek indicated that the company was being “flexible” in terms of all upcoming movie releases and is focused on what their consumers want in terms of content access as the pandemic continues.

Marvel’s official description of the movie reads:

In Marvel Studios’ action-packed spy thriller “Black Widow,” Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down [presumably Taskmaster], Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.

Related: Kevin Feige Smashes Rumors of ‘Star Wars’ Series Involvement

Black Widow releases on July 9, 2021 in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access. The film was directed by Cate Shortland.

Are you looking forward to the Marvel Cinematic Universe returning to theaters and finally seeing Marvel’s Black Widow?