Rescissions occur most often in the form of re-ratings after edits, re-ratings on appeals, or studios surrendering the rating to leave the film unrated. This list includes films that received- and were released with-an NC-17 rating films that received it but had it rescinded before release are not included. 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. NC-17 originally stood for 'No Children Under 17 Admitted' to combat the misconception that the rating indicated a film was pornographic. The NC-17 rating replaced the X rating in 1990 as the X rating was not trademarked by the MPA and had been co-opted by the pornography industry. The rating may be issued because of violence, sex, drugs, or other elements.
The rating does not designate films as pornographic or obscene, but simply that the content is suitable only for adults. It is assigned to films the MPA believes most parents would consider 'patently adult' and not suitable for their children under 18. NC-17 ( No One 17 and Under Admitted) is the highest rating in the Motion Picture Association (MPA) film rating system used for films distributed in the United States.
