"It's a disaster": Robert Pattinson reacts to 15+ rating in the UK for 'The Batman' movie

The Batman received a 15+ rating in the UK, and actor Robert Pattinson had a surprising reaction to it.

Pattinson is the most recent actor to portray Batman/Bruce Wayne in a live-action film starring in director Matt Reeves' The Batman, which will hit theaters this week.

In the latest solo outing for The Caped Crusader since Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Pattinson was joined by actors Zoe Kravitz, Colin Farrell, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, and Andy Serkis.

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Why was Robert Pattinson shocked at a 15+ rating in the UK for 'The Batman' movie?

Pattinson was unaware that his movie was the first Batman film to be rated 15+ in the UK. He was informed that the picture would be 15+ in an interview with Cameron Frew of Unilad, the first time since Batman Returns was retroactively reclassified to 12A.

This came as a shock to Robert Pattinson. The actor joked, perhaps alluding to the box office troubles that would happen if younger audiences were unable to see the picture in theaters. He said:

"No way. What happened? I didn't even know. Oh, no. It's a disaster!"

He asked if Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight is a 15, before explaining the BBFC's rating system to co-star Zoe Kravitz, who was previously unsure of how it worked. Take a look at Pattinson's reaction in the clip below:

The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) has given all other live-action Batman films a rating of 12 or lower so far, with some of the more mature-minded animated flicks like Batman: The Long Halloween and Gotham By Gaslight receiving a higher classification.

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How can a 15+ rating in the UK pose a problem to 'The Batman'?

A BBFC classification of 15 indicates that the film is not suitable for children under the age of 15.

The PG-13 rating in the United States, on the other hand, permits anyone 13 and older to see the picture in a theater on their own, while anyone younger can see it with a parent or guardian.

The Batman, on the other hand, has always been promoted as a dark and somber film, so it's not surprising that it has a higher rating in the United Kingdom.

Depending on how stringent UK theaters are in maintaining that, it could pose a box office problem for the movie, but aside from Pattinson's shocking reaction, there hasn't been much concern expressed about it.