Wikipedia Summary of Release

• Originally given a 15 rating by the BBFC
• Due to scenes where Logue encourages the King to shout profanities to relieve stress
• Salt and Casino Royale both include torture scenes yet are 12As 
• Following Hooper's criticism the board lowered the rating to a 12A
• Motion Picture Association of America gave the film an R rating - have to be 17 or accompanied by an adult
• Harvey Weinstein, the producer, said he was considering having the film re-edited to remove some of the profanity, so that it would receive a lower classification and reach a larger audience 
• Tom Hooper refused to cute the film although he considered covering the swear words with bleeps 
• Helena Bonham Carter also defended the film saying the film is not violent and is full of humanity and wit 
• Firth noted that the context of the use wasn't offensive 
• An alternate version with the profanities muted out of the soundtrack was classified PG-13 by the MPAA, this version will be released to theatres across the US, replacing the R-rated cut. 
• Distributed by Transmission in Australia, Momentum Pictures in the UK, the Weinstein Company in North America 

Guardian Article Extract

(TheGuardian) has often had cause to quote the "10% rule", which suggests that the UK gross of a film in sterling will usually be around a 10th of the US figure in dollars.

The King's Speech

Guardian > Film > Culture > The King's Speech

Click here for full Guardian article 

• Distributed by Momentum Pictures 
• £3.52 million opening weekend
• Slumdog Millionaire £1.83 million 
• The UK film council financially backed the King's Speech
• Funded by 6 independent financial bodies as opposed to large studies e.g. Universal - lacked brand recognition 

Key to making a film a success: 

• Marathon publicity 
• Strong critical support
• Bold positioning by distributors 

Issues in the British Film Industry

Funding Structures: Investors' Returns:

• Difficult to predict 
• Need to find other ways of ensuring investor getting money back
• If market unpredictable (as it is at present) it is even more difficult 

Funding Structures: Guaranteeing Success/Reducing the Risk

• Prequel/sequel 
• Known director/scriptwriter/stars 
• Develop from existing format (novel, etc)
• Huge budget (can itself, create a 'buzz')
• Early teaser strategy established
• Release date scheduled carefully (Christmas, summer holiday, halloween etc)
• Avoid 'duplication' of similar genre released at same time (often impossible to know for sure) 

UK and US Funding Structures: Initial Issues

• Initial investment: A company, its machinery, sites and personnel have to be 'set up'
• The demand and supply must be 'constant' (you can't have workers being idle - it costs too much)
• Market research has to be paid for, the company need to know that the product is 'liked' by its customers
• Advertising and marketing must be employed (print, moving-image, radio and e-media) to keep the 'buzz' about the product going, therefore, keeping sales at a maximum
• Industry factors are not fixed; they cannot be accurately predicted; tastes change and this can be disastrous
• Staffing costs in the movie industry are huge as is the race to develop new technologies; this can cripple companies 
• The key word (in any company but very much in the film industry) is RISK