The original Toxic Avenger is one of those movies that defines the term cult classic. An early hit for Troma, the studio where several celebrated directors (including James Gunn) first cut their teeth, The Toxic Avenger spawned many sequels throughout the '80s and '90s, so it’s not all that shocking that a Toxic Avenger remake was eventually given the green light.
The new film, starring Peter Dinklage in the title role, has had a rough road ot release. There was significant difficulty finding a studio willing to distribute the film. It seems the movie is quite extreme, which explains why, when it debuts in August, it will do without an MPA rating. Bloody Disgusting does, however, have MPA-style promotional material which promises just what we’ll get when The Toxic Avenger arrives, including…
- Mutant Nudity
- Hilarious Harm
- Ultra Violent/Toxic Content
- Gnarly Theater Fun
- Splatter Laughter
- Monstercore
- Punk Rock Bandits
- Mops
- Toxic Sludge Exposure
It’s unclear if there was even an attempt to get an actual MPA rating here, and the movie was deemed too mature for even an R-rating, or if they just didn’t bother. Based on these descriptions, either is certainly possible. The original film did receive an R-rating, but it sounds like the new one may have truly outdone the original in this particular way. Theatrical success of unrated movies is rare, but it does happen.
Official MPA ratings have standard language they add to give prospective viewers an idea of what sort of content they’re going to see. Needless to say, this sort of language is not exactly MPA-approved. What it is, however, is hilarious, and confirmation that anybody interested in seeing The Toxic Avenger is going to get exactly the movie they’re looking for.
The Toxic Avenger remake premiered during the 2023 Fantastic Fest, but it then found itself sitting on a shelf, unreleased for two years. Thanks to Cineverse, however, it is now part of the 2025 movie schedule. The movie is apparently so over the top and wildly violent that it seems studios felt the movie was unreleasable and impossible to adequately market. Of course, this was also exactly why Peter Dinklage wanted to do the movie.
Based on these descriptions of the film, it’s not difficult to understand why traditional studios might have had trouble with the film. The Toxic Avenger is certainly going to be a “general audience” sort of movie. A movie with “Mutant Nudity” and “Splatter Laughter” certainly isn’t going to be for everyone, so find out where yoy stand by watching the teaser below.
Of course, for longtime fans of The Toxic Avenger and movies like it, descriptions like this are going to get them (on)lined up and buying tickets. If movies that are equal parts violent, gross, and hilarious are your thing, it looks like the new Toxic Avenger will be everything fans could possibly want.
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