Top Grossing PG13 and R rated films

Today most films targeted for mass audience appeal are cut to get a PG-13 (ordered by number of boxoffice tickets sold)

1997	Titanic	128,345,900
2009	Avatar	95,904,100
1993	Jurassic Park	86,205,800
1994	Forrest Gump	78,545,600
2008	The Dark Knight	74,282,100
2002	Spider-Man	69,484,700
1996	Independence Day	69,268,900
2006	Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest	64,628,400
1989	Batman	62,954,600
2003	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King	61,538,100
2004	Spider-Man 2	60,158,700
2005	Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith	59,324,600
2012	Marvel's The Avengers	59,125,200

But with some exceptions, in the 1970's more films were released with an R rating.

1973	The Exorcist	103,208,600
1972	The Godfather	78,646,400
1984	Beverly Hills Cop	67,150,000
1974	Blazing Saddles	63,227,500
2004	The Passion of the Christ	59,625,500
1975	The Rocky Horror Picture Show	55,069,400
1975	One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest	53,685,400
1970	M.A.S.H.	53,684,200
1978	National Lampoon's Animal House	51,321,000
1991	Terminator 2: Judgment Day	48,656,400
2003	The Matrix Reloaded	46,695,900
1998	Saving Private Ryan	45,747,100
1982	An Officer and a Gentleman	43,656,900
1988	Rain Man	43,291,700
1985	Rambo: First Blood Part II	42,370,500
1990	Pretty Woman	42,176,400
1977	Saturday Night Fever	40,604,700
1987	Fatal Attraction	39,680,700
1987	Beverly Hills Cop II	39,300,500
1993	The Firm	38,248,400
1997	Air Force One	37,672,700
1980	Stir Crazy	37,658,000
1976	A Star Is Born (1976)	37,558,700
1998	There's Something About Mary	37,478,600
2009	The Hangover	37,165,900
1989	Lethal Weapon 2	37,091,700
1982	Porky's	35,881,800
1986	Platoon	35,436,000
1994	True Lies	34,995,800
1992	Lethal Weapon 3	34,875,100
2000	Gladiator	34,814,000
1979	The Amityville Horror	34,435,100
1992	A Few Good Men	34,103,400
1996	Jerry Maguire	33,929,100
1999	The Matrix	33,755,900
1976	All the President's Men	33,145,500
2005	Wedding Crashers	32,645,200
2011	The Hangover Part II	31,587,400
1969	Midnight Cowboy	31,538,800
1979	Alien	31,452,100

As massively influential as Ridley Scott's "Blade runner" and "Alien" were to movies, Blade Runner was not very popular when it was released, and Alien was a big, but not overwhelming hit.

1982	Blade Runner	9,381,000
1979	Alien	31,452,100

However, in the last 3 decades, movies are more and more about promotion. Ridley Scott is sticking with his general trend towards R rated movies, and he promises a science fiction movie to scare the crap out of you.

Will Prometheus live up to the hype? Are you going to see it?

I am definitely planning on seeing it in the theatre as I enjoyed Scott's other films. However, I doubt it will crack the top 10 in ticket sales. There have been too many "Alien/Alien+Preadator" movies, and knock offs; some released recently (Battleship.) The trailer for Prometheus doesn't hint at anything groundbreaking.

In all fairness, a good deal of the movies before 1984 that are on your "R-rated" list would have been rated PG-13, even at the time of release.

Blazing Saddles
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
M.A.S.H.
Saturday Night Fever
A Star is Born
All the President's Men

Yes, some of those have the "F-word" in them, but movie studios would have cut the language to make the PG-13 rating, just as they do today.

Quote: Tiltpoul

In all fairness, a good deal of the movies before 1984 that are on your "R-rated" list would have been rated PG-13, even at the time of release.

PG-13 rating was introduced on July 1, 1984. So I guess a more appropriate question is can this intellectual film director outsell "The Matrix Reloaded"

2011	The Hangover Part II	31,587,400
2009	The Hangover	37,165,900
2007	300	30,612,600
2005	Wedding Crashers	32,645,200
2004	The Passion of the Christ	59,625,500
2003	The Matrix Reloaded	46,695,900
2000	Gladiator	34,814,000
1999	The Matrix	33,755,900
1998	Saving Private Ryan	45,747,100
1998	There's Something About Mary	37,478,600
1997	Air Force One	37,672,700
1996	Jerry Maguire	33,929,100
1996	Ransom	30,758,900
1996	The Rock	30,332,500
1994	True Lies	34,995,800
1993	The Firm	38,248,400
1992	Lethal Weapon 3	34,875,100
1992	A Few Good Men	34,103,400
1991	Terminator 2: Judgment Day	48,656,400
1991	The Silence of the Lambs	31,055,300
1990	Pretty Woman	42,176,400
1989	Lethal Weapon 2	37,091,700
1988	Rain Man	43,291,700
1988	Coming to America	31,180,600
1987	Fatal Attraction	39,680,700
1987	Beverly Hills Cop II	39,300,500
1987	Good Morning, Vietnam	30,156,900
1986	Platoon	35,436,000
1985	Rambo: First Blood Part II	42,370,500
1984	Beverly Hills Cop	67,150,000

I realize that movies cater to the ratings, cutting the minimum amount that is needed to get the PG-13 rating. Many present day PG-13 movies are much more profane and with adult material than the older R rated movies.

But in terms of attendance, there is restrictions on an R rated film. Normally, if a producer is going for a blockbuster, he is catering to that significant 15 year old boy, who is the primary purchaser of movie tickets, and he doesn't want him to be turned away by the movie theater.

Your typical sci-fi, comic book or fantasy film avoids the R-rating like the plague. There are obvious exceptions (like the Matrix films).

With china buying AMC theaters, I wonder what will happen to the R rated film. Censorship is much tougher in China. As the market for films increasing includes China, the potential blockbuster will be under even more pressure to produce PG-13 films.