MPAA Certificate Numbers

[Schlockmeister]

So, in this week’s MPAA bulletin (https://filmratings.com/Content/Down...g_bulletin.pdf) we can see that they have rated their movie #52,000 and that honor falls on an R-rated film called “The Poison Rose”

Previous milestones include Stanley Kubrick’s Lolita, which received certificate #20,000 in 1962 or Peter Hyams’ “Capricorn One”, which was #25,000 in 1977.

Movie Number One in this list that spans practically the whole history of American cinema and most of world cinema, was a film by John Ford, (“The World Moves On”) in the year 1934.

These certificate numbers appear in the opening credits of almost every USA released movie films from the year 1934 until the year 1968, meaning that the movie in question adhered to the Hayes Office "Motion Picture Code".

In the year 1968 the current MPAA movie rating scheme started (you know: G, PG, PG-13, R) and the certificate numbering was continued straight until nowadays, although around this time its screen display was moved to the closing credits instead of the opening ones, where it has remained ever since.

There is not a complete list of all the certificate numbers available on the internet, although amateur attempts by OCD fans have been made.
http://filmnummers.nl/Filmnummers.php
http://www.filmsonsuper8.com/censors...ers-52000.html

The only official source is in the MPAA official website, but the movie rating search only includes movies from 1968 until today, and not before:
https://www.filmratings.com/

[AaronJ]

Does the movie need to be submitted for rating (I know practically all are)?

[Schlockmeister]

Naturally. It's a business and they get paid for it.

Also, you'd be surprised how many movies are unrated these days, especially those release on straight to VOD.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by Schlockmeister

Naturally. It's a business and they get paid for it.

Also, you'd be surprised how many movies are unrated these days, especially those release on straight to VOD.

Well, that's a good point. And I was thinking of those released in theaters, actually. But yeah.

[ArmyOfDarknessAW]

Super interesting. This is one of those things you see before every movie, but most have no idea. I never know what those numbers stood for....now i do. Thanks

[sawdustandtinsel]

I always watch the credits to see the certificate number, hoping to catch it on an even thousand. I guess you could say it's a quirk.

[Schlockmeister]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Well, that's a good point. And I was thinking of those released in theaters, actually. But yeah.

Yeah, US theatrical releases get practically all rated, but on the home video front the numbers have been decreasing, well at least that's what I got from this article last year:

https://deadline.com/2018/04/mpaa-fi...ny-1202378819/

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by sawdustandtinsel

I always watch the credits to see the certificate number, hoping to catch it on an even thousand. I guess you could say it's a quirk.

Or OCD.

Originally Posted by Schlockmeister

Yeah, US theatrical releases get practically all rated, but on the home video front the numbers have been decreasing, well at least that's what I got from this article last year:

https://deadline.com/2018/04/mpaa-fi...ny-1202378819/

Fascinating. Thanks for all this.

[Schlockmeister]

This week's MPAA bulletin (https://www.filmratings.com/Content/...g_bulletin.pdf) is interesting because 2 recent prominent movies are getting a second rating and a second certificate number for extended cuts presumably released to the home video market: Fantastic Beasts 2 and A Star is Born.

This is nothing new, as it happens quite often. Many other movies have 2 certificate numbers as well, one for the original theatrical cut and a second one for the extended/director's/whatever cut released on blu-ray or DVD later on.

Some movies even have 3, 4 or five certificate numbers. Conspicuous examples are:
Blade Runner with 3 numbers for 3 different cuts:
26573 theatrical
31472 director's cut
43682 final cut

Sergio Leone's classic Once Upon a Time in America, with 4 different numbers through the years:
27422, 27588, 38573 and 49116

But the one that takes the cake is Watchmen, Zack Snyder's infamous adaptation of the superhero graphic novel, which managed to rack up 5 different certificate numbers for different cuts and ancillary shorts:
44894 Theatrical cut
45165 Director's cut
44900 Under the Hood
45065 Tales of the Black Freighter
45166 Ultimate cut (Director's cut + Tales of the Black Freighter)

[AaronJ]

I would guess Alien must have at least a couple, if not more?

[Schlockmeister]

And you'd guess right:

25541 and 40266

James Cameron's Aliens has also 2:
27850 and 31893

Alien 3, on the other hand, has only one: 31392

However, The Making Of Alien 3 got its own rating and number: 31807, which makes it pretty exceptional, since there's only one other example of a "making-of" rated by the MPAA:
The Making Of Alan Parker's Film 'The Commitments', with #31612

[AaronJ]

This is turning out as one of the most informative threads on this site.