Haywire (2012)

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Rating Controversy

The film was given an R rating by the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America). Relativity Media, the distributor, decided to appeal. The MPAA looked at movie again, but decided not to reverse its decision. The movie was only weeks away from opening and Relativity decided to release the film as it was.

Critical Reception

Haywire was well received by critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, 80% of critics gave it positive reviews, easily getting the film into the category "Fresh." On Metacritic, the film got a 67, which gave it the color "Green" (the highest color) and the category "Generally Positive." Of the Metacritic reviews, 28 were positive, 11 were mixed, and only 1 was negative.

Box Office

Haywire opened opposite two other action films: R-rated fantasy sequel Underworld: Awakening and World War 2 epic Red Tails. Underworld was highly anticipated and it was predicted that Haywire was in trouble. This problem was further aggravated when the MPAA refused to remove its R rating, excluding younger viewers. Haywire bombed with an $8 million opening, and fizzled out fast. It made less than $20 million total in the US and made only $12 million more overseas. It is worth noting, though, that this type of movie is likely to perform better on DVD, and Haywire had an unusually low budget.