One Classic $212 Million Worth Steven Spielberg Movie Paved the Way For Several MCU Films in the Most Unexpected Way

Steven Spielberg is unarguably one of those legendary genius directors in the entertainment industry who quite literally changed the course of cinema through his masterpieces.

If anything, he has redefined the general approach to making films through his own brilliantly iconic ideas, especially with movies like his $212 million critically acclaimed horror comedy from 1984, Gremlins.

In fact, not only that, but this one particular movie along with Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark made such extraordinary history that it even paved the way in the most unexpected way for several films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to be created.

This is because these two respective movies led to the birth of the very viewer rating that has been used ever since in MCU projects!

Steven Spielberg’s Gremlins Paved the Way for MCU Films

Those who have seen Gremlins must be really confused right now because they know just how gritty and gory this one classic 1984 movie by Steven Spielberg was.

So how did it end up paving the way for MCU films when hardly any of them come even close to the copious amount of violence and deaths depicted in this respective movie? (Deadpool is an exception here.)

Well, this question is only valid and understandable when comparing those two according to their genres and themes.

But things get a lot clearer when looking at it through the influence the 1984 masterpiece from Spielberg had on the viewers — something that quite literally led to the creation of a rating that has, ever since, been the base of nearly all Marvel movies.

As fans already know, the Corey Feldman-starrer and Raiders of the Lost Ark were two of the most gruesome movies released in 1984, bringing about a new take on the horror genre. And although the former had hints of comedy too, it wasn’t quite something along the lines of a family movie.

Yet, it scored a PG rating instead of an R or at least a PG-13 one.

Why? Well, the answer is quite simple: Because besides G (General audiences), PG (Parental Guidance suggested), R (Restricted for those under 17 without guardian), and X (Not for those under 17), no other rating existed at the time.

And Spielberg knew that these non-R-rated respective films of his did require some sort of precaution for those kids who were allowed to see PG projects.

That said, something had to be done, and the mastermind Jaws helmer knew just what.

As he shared with Vanity Fair, he called the then-prez of MPA (Motion Pictures Association) and suggested that “we need a rating between R and PG, because so many films were falling into a netherworld, you know, of unfairness.”

Continuing, he explained how it all panned out, saying:

I suggested, “Let’s call it PG-13 or PG-14, depending on how you want to design the slide rule,” and Jack came back to me and said, “We’ve determined that PG-13 would be the right age for that temperature of movie.”

Just like that the PG-13 rating was birthed — the very rating that paved the way for all those Marvel movies that hold some violence but can be viewed by children under parental guidance as well.

Gremlins Influenced Marvel Movies in Other Ways As Well

While introducing this new rating that would become the base of nearly every Marvel movie that came after it was one way in which Gremlins paved the way for films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it wasn’t the only way.

As fans must have noticed, the movie also seemingly inspired Marvel project developers along the lines of blending genres, balancing dark themes with humor, and even subverting the viewers’ expectations in the most unexpected ways.

For instance, just like the $212 million movie is a blend of horror and comedy, some Marvel projects like the Guardians of the Galaxy film series and Thor: Ragnarok also blended the action, violence, and comedy themes and perfectly balanced those dark themes with humor.

Then there’s the fact that the Spielberg-produced 1984 masterpiece took some incredibly creative risks with how it approached the storyline and established a unique cinematic identity — something that Marvel has also somewhat mastered through its diversity in the styles, tones, and narratives.

All in all, this only stands as proof that Steven Spielberg indeed influenced the entertainment industry tremendously, further establishing him as the legendary genius that he actually is.

You can stream Gremlins and Raiders of the Lost Ark on Prime Video, and almost every Marvel project on Disney+.