WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE RATING SYSTEM?
Movie ratings provide parents with advance information about the content of movies to help them determine what movies are appropriate for their children at any age. After all, parents are best suited to knowing each of their children’s individual sensitivities and sensibilities to pick movies for them. Ratings are assigned by a board of parents who consider factors such as violence, sex, language and drug use, then assign a rating they believe the majority of American parents would give a movie.
DO RATINGS INDICATE IF A MOVIE IS GOOD OR BAD?
No. Audiences and film critics make these determinations. The ratings are not intended to approve, disapprove or censor any movie. Rather, ratings offer guidance to parents regarding the level of content in a movie.
DO ALL MOVIES HAVE TO BE RATED?
No. Submitting a movie for a rating is a voluntary decision made by filmmakers. However, the overwhelming majority of filmmakers have their movies rated, and each member of the Motion Picture Association has agreed to have all its theatrically released movies rated.
WHAT ABOUT MOVIE ADVERTISING IN THEATERS AND BEYOND?
In conjunction with our process of reviewing and rating movies, we take every step possible to ensure that all advertising content is suitable for the particular audience that views it. We review more than 60,000 pieces of marketing each year, including theatrical, home video and online trailers, print ads, radio and TV spots, press kits, billboards, bus shelters, posters and other promotional materials. Our goal is to give parents the same confidence in movie advertising that they have in the movie rating system, while also allowing filmmakers to responsibly market their movies to their intended audiences.
The key to movie advertising is compatibility. Advertising for rated films is not rated, nor does the advertising content carry the rating of the full feature film. With trailers, we consider many factors to ensure their compatibility with the feature; on TV, we consider compatibility to the programming; and with online content, we consider the compatibility and user base age demographic breakdown for the intended online destination. Ultimately, we strive to make sure that if parents are comfortable with the content of the feature, TV programming or other media, then they will be comfortable with the trailers or other ads that go with them.
CHECK THE BOX
Use the rating system to “Check the Box” and decide if a film is right for your family. The information in the box includes the letter rating, designating the level of content in the movie, and also the descriptor, giving a snapshot of the elements in the movie that lead to that rating.
The Check the Box campaign further enhances our educational tools for parents, with an updated rating block and trailer tag. As demonstrated below, the trailer tag gets to the point and tells audiences that the trailer they are watching is approved to play with the feature they came to see. This does not represent a change in the way we approve trailers and other movie advertising, but rather a clearer and more accurate reflection of our approval process. This process considers various factors, including the content and rating of the feature and the advertised movie, in approving trailers that are compatible with the feature and its content.
The rating block features a more prominent rating descriptor box. Rating descriptors have been an element of every PG, PG-13, R and NC-17 rating since 1990, and each descriptor will continue to be tailored for every individual movie, as they have always been. The new box places a renewed emphasis on the descriptor to encourage parents to use this important information when making movie choices for their families.
Below you will find an image illustrating the changes between the old theatrical trailer tag and the updated theatrical trailer tag and rating box.
FAQs
Rated G: General audiences – All ages admitted. Rated PG: Parental guidance suggested – Some material may not be suitable for children. Rated PG-13: Parents strongly cautioned – Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. Rated R: Restricted – Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
What are all the ratings in order? ›
The following TV rating guidelines are provided by the TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board.
- TV-Y: All Children. ...
- TV-Y7: Directed to Children 7 and older. ...
- TV-Y7-FV: Directed to Older Children - Fantasy Violence. ...
- TV-PG: Parental Guidance Suggested. ...
- TV-14: Parents Strongly Cautioned. ...
- TV-MA: Mature Audience Only.
Rated G: General audiences – All ages admitted. Rated PG: Parental guidance suggested – Some material may not be suitable for children. Rated PG-13: Parents strongly cautioned – Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. Rated R: Restricted – Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
What is NC-17 rating? ›
NC-17 originally stood for "No Children Under 17 Admitted" to combat the misconception that the rating indicated a film was p*rnographic. In 1996, the MPA reworded the NC-17 rating to "No One 17 and Under Admitted", effectively raising the minimum age for admission from 17 to 18.
What is the rating above R? ›
The NC-17 rating is the highest rating (even higher than the R-rating) that a film can be given, and it means the movie is for adults only (ages 18 and older) and no one age 17 or younger will be admitted. This rating, prior to 1990, was previously rated X.
What does PG-13 stand for? ›
Parental Strongly Cautioned: PG-13 - Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. Parents are urged to be cautious. Some material may not be appropriate for pre-teenagers.
What is the highest TV rating ever? ›
The Apollo 11 Moon Landing in 1969 stands as the most-watched TV program in U.S. history with upwards of 150M viewers.
What is NC-17 vs R 18? ›
R means that it is approved for adults, people under 17 will not be admitted, without parental approval. NC-17 only allows adults to be admitted to the feature. No one under the age of 18 is allowed admittance.
What is a U-rated movie? ›
Films with the U certification are fit for unrestricted public exhibition and are family-friendly. These films can contain universal themes like education, family, drama, romance, sci-fi, action etc. These films can also contain some mild violence, but it cannot be prolonged.
Why is Blonde rated NC-17? ›
Blonde's NC-17 rating generated a lot of buzz—especially about what it means for the film. The MPA cited “some sexual content” in giving the rating. In February, Blonde director Andrew Dominik told ScreenDaily that the movie will include a “graphic rape scene.” It is also said to feature a vagin*l point-of-view shot.
Although the TV-MA rating means a program is technically made for 17-year-olds, programs with this rating can sometimes be more graphic and severe than what R-rated movies would typically allow, thanks to the existence of premium cable networks and certain online streaming services.
What is rated MA? ›
TV-MA Mature Audience Only This program is specifically designed to be viewed by adults and therefore may be unsuitable for children under 17. This program contains one or more of the following: graphic violence (V), explicit sexual activity (S), or crude indecent language (L).
What is the NR rating? ›
Not Rated. The resource name for the not rated icon for the United States is nr . Place a not rated rating icon next to content to indicate that the content has not been rated by the MPAA. This icon is often used to indicate that the movie was never submitted to the MPAA.
What are the Netflix ratings in order? ›
Netflix Content Rating System
- All (Young Children) (Television: TV-Y, TV-G) (Movies: G)
- 7+ (Children) (Television: TV-Y7) (Movies: soft PG)
- 10+ (Adolescents) (Television: TV-Y7-FV, soft TV-PG) (Movies: hard PG)
- 13+ (Teens) (Television: hard TV-PG, soft TV-14) (Movies: soft PG-13)
R Restricted- Under 17 required accompanying parents or adult guardian (age varies in some jurisdictions). The restriction signifies that the rating board has concluded that the film rated may contain some adult material. Parents are urged to learn more about the film before taking their children to see it.
Is R rated the same as 18? ›
R - An R rated film means 'Restricted'. Those under 17 require an accompanying parent. Similar to the UK's 15. NC-17 - Like the UK's 18, an NC-17 film is considered for adults and not appropriate for tweens or younger children.
