History MediaNotes / AdultsOnlyFilmRating

Despite the NC-17 rating being devised to specifically cut out the association with porn that came to plague the X rating, most mainstream theaters remain highly reluctant to screen NC-17 movies and many retailers refuse to stock home video releases of them, due to the decreased earnings potential (as teenagers are typically the most reliably-profitable demographic) and the added difficulty of checking patrons' {{IDs}}. As a result, NC-17, like X before it, is often subject to an antithesis of AvoidTheDreadedGRating, in which filmmakers and producers go out of their way to ''censor'' their films to ensure that the highest rating they get is an R. Also carrying over from the days of the X rating, if a film has enough explicit content in it to warrant an NC-17 rating in theory, most of the time the distributors would instead release it "Unrated," as that designation lacks the same level of stigma as X and NC-17, leading to it being more easily distributed in theaters and on store shelves; the allure of a film being "too mature to rate" also helps in marketing it towards curious audiences.

Despite the NC-17 rating being devised to specifically cut out the association with porn that came to plague the X rating, most mainstream theaters remain highly reluctant to screen NC-17 movies and many retailers refuse to stock home video releases of them, due to the decreased earnings potential (as teenagers are typically the most reliably-profitable demographic) and the added difficulty of checking patrons' IDs. As a result, NC-17, like X before it, is often subject to an antithesis of AvoidTheDreadedGRating, in which filmmakers and producers go out of their way to ''censor'' their films to ensure that the highest rating they get is an R. Also carrying over from the days of the X rating, if a film has enough explicit content in it to warrant an NC-17 rating in theory, most of the time the distributors would instead release it "Unrated," as that designation lacks the same level of stigma as X and NC-17, leading to it being more easily distributed in theaters and on store shelves; the allure of a film being "too mature to rate" also helps in marketing it towards curious audiences.

Despite the NC-17 rating being devised to specifically cut out the association with porn that came to plague the X rating, the stigma ended up carrying over to the newer designation instead, resulting in theaters being highly reluctant to screen any NC-17 movies and retailers refusing to stock home video releases of them. As a result, NC-17, like X before it, is often subject to an antithesis of AvoidTheDreadedGRating, in which filmmakers and producers go out of their way to ''censor'' their films to ensure that the highest rating they get is an R. Also carrying over from the days of the X rating, if a film has enough explicit content in it to warrant an NC-17 rating in theory, most of the time the distributors would instead release it "Unrated," as that designation lacks the same level of stigma as X and NC-17, leading to it being more easily distributed in theaters and on store shelves; the allure of a film being "too mature to rate" also helps in marketing it towards curious audiences.

One of the age ratings of the MediaNotes/MotionPictureAssociation. This rating is aimed at people who are at least eighteen years old. This is why it is termed "'''NC-17'''". It is the film equivalent of UsefulNotes/AdultsOnlyRatingESRB.

One of the age ratings of the UsefulNotes/MotionPictureAssociation. This rating is aimed at people who are at least eighteen years old. This is why it is termed "'''NC-17'''". It is the film equivalent of UsefulNotes/AdultsOnlyRatingESRB.

* ''Film/{{Blonde}}'': Some sexual content.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/800px_nc_17svg.png]]

* ''Film/HeavyTraffic''*†

* ''Film/TheStoryOfO''†: sexual content

One of the age ratings of the UsefulNotes/MotionPictureAssociationOfAmerica. This rating is aimed at people who are at least eighteen years old. This is why it is termed "'''NC-17'''". It is the film equivalent of UsefulNotes/AdultsOnlyRatingESRB.

One of the age ratings of the UsefulNotes/MotionPictureAssociationOfAmerica. This rating is aimed at people who are at least eighteen years old. This is why it is termed "'''NC-17'''". It is the film equivalent of AdultsOnlyRating.