There was a minor furor on the internet yesterday when HBO Max re-added Birds of Prey to the library, with one major difference. Instead of the R-rated theatrical cut of the movie, the streaming service had instead uploaded the TV-14 broadcast version that censored blood, violence, profanity and questionable apparel.
Given that there’s plenty of adult-skewing content on the platform, without even mentioning the fact the rude, raunchy, gruesome and foul-mouthed The Suicide Squad premiered simultaneously on HBO Max and in theaters this summer, the decision left many people scratching their heads.
As it turns out, WarnerMedia released an official statement admitting that it was a case of mistaken identity, with the presence of the TV-14 Birds of Prey nothing but a complete accident. As you’d expect, the Harley Quinn spinoff was trending in no time at all after the multimedia conglomerate made such a simple yet glaring error.
DCEU fans love nothing more than to blast Warner Bros. for its handling of the DCEU, so supporters must have been rubbing their hands in glee when the company owned up to its error. On the plus side, the original and unedited Birds of Prey they fell in love with should be back in short order.