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Birds of Prey Film Gets Censored on HBO Max


Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn is finally back on HBO Max after it was removed back on Nov. 14 - but the version of the movie that is currently streaming is edited for broadcast TV standards.

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The edited version of the Birds of prey DC film now starts with a warning that reads, "This film has been modified as follows from its original version: it has been edited for content." Although the streaming service still lists the unedited version’s R rating from the MPAA for suggestive dialogue, violence and language, other R-rated content has also been edited from the movie, with the curse words being dubbed over with G-rated euphemisms and other visual gags blurred out.

It is very surprising to see an edited-for-content version of a movie streaming on HBO Max. The channel which gives the streaming platform its name, HBO, has been known for allowing content that are R-rated to air completely uncensored. This lack of censorship has made the channel HBO one of the first TV destinations for movies after their home video runs and initial theatrical release, as well as allowed for other mature original series such as Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, and Sex and the City to break new ground for television.

This censored version of the movie Birds of Prey is the one that has currently been airing on TNT with a TV-14 rating. HBO Max streams shows from the WarnerMedia library, which includes both TNT and HBO channels among other TV networks.

If it looks like HBO Max seems to violate the HBO brand by broadcasting TV cuts on the streaming platform, it’s not really unheard of. Some people have reported finding the edited versions of both Saw VI and Spawn on the streaming platform. The poster for the original Evil Dead film is also changed on the platform, even if the horror movies stream it on the platform fully uncensored.

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