Theory 3: Difficult Demographics
'I'll just wait for it to come out on DVD'. How many times do you hear people say that about a film when they look for whats showing? In the case of Dredd, it's probably many times. Dredd dared to stick to its R-rated guns, making it clear from the outset that punches were not being pulled. This one was going to be bloody. Aiming for a distinctly adult audience, DNA Films believed there was a healthy market out there; a section of the population that enjoyed a certain vintage when it came to action pictures. And while they were right in this assumption, they may have overestimated the punters' desire to hand over money when it came to the experience. Dredd knows what market it's pitched at. It's the same generation who grew up watching Eastwood growl the words 'do you feel lucky, punk?' They get the black humour inherent in one man's grim determination when passing judgement without emotion. Dredd perfectly distils that down-the-barrel-of-a-gun moment, providing many of the money-shots in the film. Sadly, those same people who would 'get' it are the same ones who've given up paying for a cinema ticket. Ironically, thats due in part to the prevalence of teen-friendly event movies, which in turn has led to lots of annoyed adults turning their backs on cinema attendance mostly because they don't want to sit in a dark room full of chattering kids. Combine that with the perceived cost element, made worse by the extra sting of 3D hiking the ticket price (more on that later), the reluctance to hand over hard-earned cash for a movie that doesn't quite say what it is (more on that later, too). Many didnt get past some basic questions. Was it a sequel? A reboot? Another comic-book character? Would Dredd have benefitted from two edits - one release for the PG-13 crowd, another for the R certificate? It's hard to know how toothless such an edit might render the movie, but there's no denying, it would have put more backsides on seats.