For more than 50 years, the Motion Picture Association has operated a film ratings system to help parents decide whether a movie such as “Infinity Pool” is appropriate for their children. The ratings — G, PG, PG-13, R and NC-17 — have remained the same since 1990.
But there is talk of adding a sixth -
Ethan Noble, a consultant who helps filmmakers achieve the rating they want, said the M.P.A. had been considering a rating between R and NC-17. An NC-17 label makes commercial success difficult, so some filmmakers would like a category that allows for more mature content without the stigma.
The M.P.A. declined to comment on whether it was considering a new rating. Noble, who lost his appeal of an NC-17 for the new horror film “Infinity Pool” (it was re-rated R after edits), said he thought a potential new rating would be fitting for the movie, which has plenty of sex and gore but sought a wide theatrical release.
Before NC-17, there was X. The M.P.A. changed the name because X movies had become synonymous with pornography. In 1990, the first movie to be labeled NC-17 was “Henry & June,” about a threesome involving the author Henry Miller, his wife and the writer Anaïs Nin.
Because a limited number of U.S. theaters will screen NC-17 movies, and advertising them is a challenge, filmmakers often work to avoid the label. Quentin Tarantino once said that to ensure “Kill Bill: Vol. 1” received an R rating, he at times used black-and-white film to reduce the visual effect of blood.
Filmmakers can appeal the decision by the M.P.A.’s board of raters; while successful appeals are rare, they do happen. In 2010, the appeal board overturned an NC-17 for the drama “Blue Valentine,” after criticism that the raters had been overly harsh toward a scene in which a woman receives oral sex.
Since NC-17 replaced X in 1990, only 92 movies have ended up with the rating out of thousands, according to the M.P.A.’s online database. The only NC-17 movie from last year was “Blonde,” Netflix’s film on Marilyn Monroe.
On a sidenote, Blonde is also the first Netflix movie in Germany to receive an "18" rating.