10 Movies That Narrowly Avoided the NC-17 Rating According to Collider

"Since its inception on September 27, 1990, in replacement of the X rating, NC-17 movies, which impose the exclusion of any minor, have been both a point of controversy & a selling point. In order to avoid cutting out a fair share of the under-18 market, most producers and directors re-edit and trim moments of sex and violence from their provocative films to appeal the rating. Others, unwilling to compromise their vision, surrender or keep it. Most, however, edit their films for wide release and use the NC-17 reputation to boost sales in the home video market, where renters and buyers can take advantage of the privacy of their own homes and get to see new versions of controversial pictures. Rarely do films garner an NC-17 rating in the current climate of the movie industry; when they do, however, they make the news. Regardless, just the label of NC-17 in our increasingly desensitized society can push people to test their tolerance for the exploitative and the shocking." - collider.com