R-rated films have made up more than half of all films rated by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) since it launched its content rating system 50 years ago, the organization announced Monday.
Since 1968, the MPAA has rated 29,791 films, and 17,202 (57 percent) of them having been rated R. That total can be attributed in part to a lack of a rating category between PG and R for much of the system’s first decade and a half since the PG-13 rating was only introduced in 1984.
But even after that, R-rated films continue to take up the majority of movies from year to year. While films deemed suitable for younger audiences get sorted into different tiers based on their content, adult films are generally sorted into the R rating format.
Less than 10 films have gone to theaters with an NC-17 rating since its introduction in 1992, as studios see the rating as dangerous to a film’s box office potential and can submit a film more than once to work it down to an R rating.
The year that turned out the most R-rated films was 2003 with 645, accounting for 68 percent of all films released at the peak of the DVD boom. Among the R-rated films that came out that year were the “Matrix” sequels, “The Last Samurai,” “Terminator 3” and “Freddy vs. Jason.”
Meanwhile, the PG-13 rating became increasingly popular with major studios after the turn of the century, giving them the opportunity to create more mature blockbusters with four-quadrant appeal. While the number of PG-13 films in a year never exceeded 120 from 1984-1999, it has never dropped below 140 films since 2000.
The PG-13 count peaked with 232 movies in 2005, a year that yielded films like “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith,” “Batman Begins” and “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” the first Harry Potter film to receive a PG-13 rating.
In a Nielsen survey of 1,559 parents of children between the ages of 7 and 16, the majority agreed either strongly (59 percent) or somewhat (36 percent) that the ratings are helpful tools.
According to the survey, 84 percent of parents found the rating system accurate in its classification of movies, and 88 percent agree the rating descriptors are accurate.
'A Star Is Born' vs 'Venom' and 5 More of Fall's 6 Biggest Box Office Showdowns (Photos)
“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” “Aquaman” and “Mary Poppins Returns” are expected to dominate the box office this fall. But there are other films vying for moviegoers' attention -- ones that are set to debut to some steep competition. Here are six head-to-head box office showdowns to look out for this fall.
MGM/Disney/Paramount/Twentieth Century Fox
Oct. 5: "A Star Is Born" vs. "Venom"
Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga facing off against a superhero entry is going to be an interesting battle -- while the former is an indie with A-list stars atop the bill, the latter is a highly-anticipated comic book character debut from a major studio.
MGM/Sony
Oct. 12: "First Man" vs. "Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween"
Everyone is anticipating Damien Chazelle’s followup to “La La Land,” especially now that film that puts Ryan Gosling in space is generating early buzz. “Goosebumps,” of course, is already an established franchise based on the children’s book series of the same name by R.L. Stine. The first film, which was released in 2015, had a $23 million opening.
DreamWorks/Columbia Pictures Corporation
Nov. 2: "Bohemian Rhapsody" vs. "Nobody’s Fool" vs. "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms"
“Bohemian Rhapsody” is quickly shaping up to be many people’s most anticipated fall movie, as it chronicles the life of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury (played by Rami Malek). The film hit some road bumps when Sacha Baron Cohen, originally cast as Mercury, exited the project. Director Joss Whedon also departed the rocker biopic. Now, it's set to face off against Disney’s big-budget film “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” along with Tyler Perry’s “Nobody’s Fool.”
New Regency/Paramount Players/Disney
Nov. 9: "Overlord" vs. "The Girl in the Spider’s Web" vs. "The Grinch"
“The Girl in the Spider’s Web” is a long-awaited sequel to “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” which starred Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander. That one grossed $232 million at the global box office. Claire Foy is taking over seven years later. But fans love their “Grinch” (2000's "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" earned $345.1 million worldwide) and J.J. Abrams has established a “Cloverfield” fandom as well (although he has said “Overlord” is not part of the “Cloverfield” franchise). "Cloverfield" and "10 Cloverfield Lane" earned $170.8 million and $110.2 million worldwide, respectively.
Paramount/Universal/MGM
Nov. 22: "Creed II" vs. "Ralph Breaks the Internet"
"Creed" came out punching at the box office in 2015, earning $173 million worldwide. So, naturally, the sequel could prove a worthy adversary for "Ralph Breaks the Internet." Its predecessor, "Wreck-It Ralph" grossed $471 million globally, and was nominated for an Oscar.
MGM/Disney
Dec. 21: "Aquaman" vs. "Bumblebee" vs. "Alita: Battle Angel"
“Aquaman” has the backing of extremely devout DC fans, but “Bumblebee” will attract “Transformers” fans, who have brought the whole franchise up to $1.4 billion domestically. Both films are set to make some serious cash. “Alita: Battle Angel” is based on Yukito’s Kishiro’s manga “Battle Angel Alita,” is produced by James Cameron, and has a stellar cast.
Warner Bros./Paramount/Twentieth Century Fox
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Fall Movie Preview 2018: These 15 films have a tough battle to box office glory
“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” “Aquaman” and “Mary Poppins Returns” are expected to dominate the box office this fall. But there are other films vying for moviegoers' attention -- ones that are set to debut to some steep competition. Here are six head-to-head box office showdowns to look out for this fall.