‘Weapons’ Rated R for Bloody Violence, Grisly Images, and More

A promising update. It sounds like Zach Cregger’s “Weapons” won’t be holding back much in terms of violence and grisly imagery, and that’s just the way we want it.

While we await for “Weapons” to hit theatres in five months’ time, the Motion Picture Association’s ratings board has decided to give the film an R rating! “Weapons” has been rated R for strong bloody violence and grisly images, language throughout, some sexual content and drug use.

“Weapons” has a plot told via multi and inter-related storylines. Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Magnolia” was reportedly a major influence. Having read Cregger’s script, I can see why this comparison would get made, especially given the structural nature of the script, but genre-wise, “Weapons” is a whole different beast.

The plot tackles the disappearance of children in a small town; they all wake up in the middle of the night and walk out of their homes, not to be seen again. Everyone is bewildered, and the rest of the film tells the story from the perspective of multiple characters: teachers, detectives, family.

The ensemble cast for “Weapons” includes the likes of Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Brian Tyree Henry, Tom Burke, Austin Abrams, Alden Ehrenreich, Benedict Wong and June Diane Raphael.

“Weapons” was originally dated for January 16, 2026 release, and was recently moved up by Warner Bros to an August 8, 2025 release date.