Why Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire Is Rated PG-13

Now that we’re less than two months out from the latest MonsterVerse movie, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, it’s not only time to get more excited for the release, but to become informed on the movie’s MPAA rating. That rating can tell us a lot about what to expect from a film before we decide to watch it in theaters, and when it comes to Godzilla X Kong, while there’s not a lot of surprises to gauge from its PG-13 rating, it’s definitely informative now that it’s official.

Prior to Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, every MonsterVerse movie has earned a PG-13 rating. As the exciting addition to the 2024 movies slate earns the same rating as its predecessors, here’s why some of its material may be inappropriate for children under the age of 13, per Film Ratings:

There you have it. As one would probably already expect, Godzilla x Kong will be packed with tons of action regarding its featured creatures. In terms of anything else, no, the latest MonsterVerse movie will be going hard on the language, violence, sexual content or anything like that.

In contrast, 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong was rated PG-13 for “intense sequences of creature violence/destruction and brief language.” Does that mean this new movie will be less intense? We’ll have to see! We do know that the 2024 movie will be a followup to Godzilla and King Kong’s epic showdown, where the two monsters will face a massive kaiju together. (We’ve also heard we could see the exciting return of fan-favorite Titan Mothra in the movie as well). You can check out the latest Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire trailer below:

The New Empire’s cast list includes Dan Stevens, along with the return of Brian Tyree Henry, Rebecca Hall and Kaylee Hottle as their MonsterVerse characters. The movie is directed by Adam Wingard, who previously helmed 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong, along with 2011’s You’re Next and 2016’s Blair Witch. Wingard has previously described Kong and Godzilla’s foe, who is named Skar King, as something that “represents an upscaled version of the worst parts of humanity.”

Interestingly enough, the last time Godzilla was on the big screen, for Godzilla Minus One, the movie had the same MPAA rating for the same reason! Surely some of us would be interested in what might come out of an R-rated monster movie, but the franchise is sticking with what works, which is creature action that’s not for everyone (specifically kids under 13), but for most people to enjoy.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is set to hit theaters this March 29 alongside the release of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.