The Motion Picture Association of America, or the MPAA, launched 50 years ago in hopes of alerting audiences to the content of a film in regards to violence, sex, and other mature subject matter. The association revealed that, after distributing nearly 30,000 ratings, more than half of the films have scored an R.
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Of the 29,791 films that have earned ratings, 17,202 of those films earned an R, which means it is unsuitable for minors under the age of 17 without being accompanied by a parent or guardian. These ratings are enforced by exhibitors and are enforced at their discretion.
The MPAA confirmed that 5,578 films earned a PG, 4,913 have earned a PG-13, and G-rated releases come in at 1,574. In 50 years, only 524 movies have earned an X or NC-17 rating.
What makes these statistics so fascinating is that there has been a commonly held belief that studios will attempt to tone down a movie in hopes of being more accessible and, therefore, more profitable. However, the number of films scoring an R would imply that many studios aren’t as concerned with a film’s rating so much as delivering audiences a captivating story.
Earlier this month, Venom debuted with a PG-13 rating, despite many involved with making the film boasting that it was being shot as if it was rated R. The R-rated Deadpool 2 hit theaters earlier this year and became a massive success, with an edited, PG-13 version of the film hitting theaters in December.
“My predecessor Jack Valenti created the MPAA ratings in 1968 amid mounting calls for censorship and the specter of government intervention. It is important to remember the context of the transformative year and decade for American life — the sexual revolution, Vietnam, political assassinations, racial strife — and how the expansion of mass media was seen as a threat by many corners of society,” MPAA chairman-CEO Charles Rivkin shared in a statement.
The ratings system has undergone changes throughout the years, most notably the creation of the PG-13 rating in 1984. Previously, films were either given a PG, which suggested parental guidance, or an R, which was restricted. The PG-rated Gremlins and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, with their multiple depictions of bloody violence, called for a certification between the two ratings, with Red Dawn becoming the first film to open with a PG-13 rating.
“Given the extraordinary changes in our culture, environment, entertainment, and society over the past 50 years, this anniversary feels particularly hard-earned and special,” Rivkin explained. “We could point to many factors behind the ratings’ success, but the clearest of all comes directly from our founding mission: to maintain the trust and confidence of American parents.”
2003 saw the highest number of R-rated movies, with 645 movies earning the classification. A recent trend in the home video releases of films is to debut an “Unrated” version of a film, which many interpret as the guarantee of more gruesome violence or sex, though it merely means the home video release wasn’t submitted to the MPAA for approval.
Are you surprised by these statistics? Let us know in the comments below!
[H/T The Hollywood Reporter]
