Did you hear? MGM and other studios remade the 1980 classic teen flick Fame! It came out this weekend. If this is news to you, I’m not surprised. Fame (2009) debuted this weekend with less than stellar box office returns. Apparently the sugary, watered-down dance musical didn’t come close to matching past genre successes Step Up and Save the Last Dance and even did worse than Take the Lead (remember that Antonio Banderas flick? I kind of liked it actually) and Rent! Surprise, surprise: turning an R-rated movie into a PG one makes it less exciting.

It’s a shame. It was shallow, according to most critics, where the original was deeper and more honest about the trappings of celebrity. But it looked competent and optimistic, which is after all what our generation is supposed to be about. I was sure it would do well. Yes, there were controversies, like the weird gay-vague character, and, yes, the director’s only 25. But who cares? Who doesn’t want to see talented people dance and sing in flawless lighting and better clothes? Most people, I guess. Thus endeth an otherwise enormously lucrative franchise: a movie, TV show and musical all precede the newest Fame film.

Personally I blame the rating. Who between the ages of 12 and 49 sees a PG movie? I suppose the idea was for parents to bring their kids. And, sure, more than half the audience was under 25. But a PG-13 rating at least — and racier content, like the original — would’ve brought more press, more young adults and then maybe Fame would’ve had more play. Pandering to the sunnier side of fame, instead of the R-rated darker, sexier side, apparently isn’t very interesting.