‘Hunger Games’ Censored in Britain for Bloodiness

Seven seconds was chopped from “The Hunger Games” in England, so kids 12 and over can see the film

"The Hunger Games" will be just a tiny bit shorter in England — and a tiny bit less bloody.

The Lionsgate film, based on the Suzanne Collins young-adult novel, was chopped by Lionsgate so it could receive a 12A rating in England, the British Board of Film Classification said Tuesday.

Also read: "Hunger Games" Premiere: Why There's No Nudity, and Why You Won't Need it

The 12A rating means that moviegoers under 12 can see the film in British theaters, accompanied by an adult. Without the cuts, the film would have received a 15 rating — meaning that no one under 15 could have seen the film in theaters.

Also read: "Hunger Games" Premiere: Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth and Jennifer Lawrence Hit the Carpet (Slideshow)

As in the United States, the Lionsgate film is scheduled for a March 23 release.

In the United States, "The Hunger Games" — which stars Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen — has been given a PG-13 rating.

The film has gone through two rounds of changes. In the first round, at the advice of the film board, four violent scenes and one scene depicting injuries were toned down, through darkening and digital removal of blood.

In the second round, there were more digital changes plus seven seconds of cuts. Several slices were made to one scene "to remove an emphasis on blood and injury" — in this case, by digitally eliminating blood splashes and blood on wounds and weapons.

Lionsgate has not yet responded to TheWrap's request for comment on the cuts.

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