Is this appropriate?

Is this appropriate?

In 1977 Jaws, the first true summer blockbuster movie was released.  It dominated the box office and kept America from swimming for almost a year. At the same time, Jaws opened up a debate: what do you do with movies that are treading the line between the current PG and R ratings.  This debate focused around the efforts of one man: Steven Spielberg. Steven Spielberg, the director of many blockbusters such as Jaws (1977) E.T (1982) and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) was creating movies that challenged the PG / R ratings.  While the movies were spectacular, parents were outraged at the adult content in these movies, especially considering their PG ratings. Spielberg himself suggested to the Motion Picture Association of America that a new movie rating needed to be added between PG and R for movies with more parental guidance needed.  On July 1, 1984 the MPAA approved the new rating of PG-13 that would indicate the following: “contains strong language, non explicit nudity, strong violence, or mild drug content.” Red Dawn (1984) became the first ever PG-13 rated movie.

The new rating completely transformed the movie industry.  According to Spielberg the rating was “not for kids to determine whether they’re old enough to see movies [but] a guide for the parents”  (Spielberg).  Spielberg’s original thoughts were correct, but there were many more effects the new rating had on the movie industry and teenagers. PG-13 ratings opened up a new target market: teenagers. Teenagers were blocked from the fun and exciting R rated movies and didn’t want to see the wimpy PG movies.  PG-13 provided a happy medium where teenagers could go to the movies with their friends and not have to have their parents tag along. The PG-13 movie industry immediately boomed with happy teenagers excited about the freedom going to the movies offered.

Today PG-13 movie ratings are the ticket to a successful movie.  Since 1995 PG-13 movies have made 35 billion more than R rated movies despite there being over 1500 more R rated films.  The success for these new entertaining movies can be attributed to Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, because of the dispute over appropriate movie ratings it created.