Fox has confirmed that Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, which debuts on Christmas Day, has received an R rating.  The first Alien vs. Predator film, which opened in 2004, had a mild PG-13 rating in spite of the fact that all the films that spawned the crossover, Alien, Aliens, and Predator were R rated and many fans of those franchises found the first Alien vs. Predator film to be 'weak tea.'  The new Alien vs. Predator: Requiem will return to the hard-hitting gore and violence that made the original Fox science fiction shockers so powerful.

The success of 'R' rated films such as 300, American Gangster, Saw IV and 30 Days of Night has undoubtedly emboldened the Hollywood studios that appear, for the time being at least, to be more willing to go after a more mature audience with an R rating.