Certification impacts films openings because the opening is supposed to draw an audience into a film, and to do this, it should reflect the sort of things like generic and audio conventions which are allowed to be shown in the certificate it has been awarded. A film opening's content should be of the same standard as the rest of the film otherwise it could cause the whole of the film to change. For example if a films opening meets all the guidelines of a 15 but the rest of the film is intended to be a 12A then the whole film would either have to become a 15 or the film opening would have to change. This can affect production companies and eventually make them pay more money to change their film.
A good example would be the cult classic Donnie Darko (2001). The above opening to the film could be certificated a U or a PG which is quickly changed to a 15 when the film begins. This is because the beginning of the film is setting the scene and giving the audience an idea of Donnie so there is no opportunity to use the violence or language which is allowed in a 15 film.
Another good example would be the horror classic The Ring. The opening 15 minutes of this film are illegible for a certificate 12 or 12A because of the light swearing used and fact that there is absolutely no violence. Due to the rest of the film being incredibly scary, gory and violent the certificate for The Ring is a 15.
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