The Top 12 NC-17 Films Ranked by Domestic Box Office Earnings

      Here are the 12 highest-grossing NC-17 films of all time, based on domestic box office earnings.

      The NC-17 rating was established to recognize that many films targeted at adults can also possess artistic value.

      However, the rating still holds a stigma in certain circles, evident in the fact that no NC-17 film has ever surpassed $37 million at the U.S. box office.

      But First, A Brief History of NC-17 Films

      Eva Green in The Dreamers. Fox Searchlight Pictures – Credit: Fox Searchlight

      The first film to be assigned an “X” rating was Brian DePalma’s Greetings in 1968, which featured a young Robert De Niro and was considered too explicit for an R rating. A year later, United Artists released Midnight Cowboy with an X rating to avoid disputes with the Motion Picture Association. It eventually won the Oscar for Best Picture, arguably gaining additional attention partly due to the controversial X rating.

      For a time, films with an X rating could still gain some respectability. However, as the rating became associated primarily with pornographic content, its reputation suffered, negatively impacting a film's potential audience reach.

      By the late ’80s and early ’90s — an era notable for innovative films like Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer and The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover — the Motion Picture Association concluded that a new rating was necessary to avoid the stigma surrounding the X rating.

      Thus, the NC-17 rating was created, signaling that a film was suitable for mainstream release but strictly off-limits to viewers under 17. Unlike R-rated films, which could admit minors if accompanied by an adult, NC-17 films were for adults only.

      Yet, this rating has not necessarily translated into commercial success, as you'll see in this compilation of the highest-grossing NC-17 films.

      The Dreamers (2003)

      Fox Searchlight Pictures

      This film follows an American college student (Michael Pitt) in Paris who encounters a peculiar brother and sister and gets embroiled in a love triangle. The film makes numerous references to French New Wave cinema and features explicit content, but it is primarily recognized as Eva Green's breakout role, as she later shared with The Guardian that she was taken aback when she viewed the rough cut, feeling as if she was performing in a costume while filming.

      Fox Searchlight Pictures released the film uncut in the U.S. with an NC-17 rating, distributing it to just 116 theaters. It grossed $2.5 million in the U.S. and $24 million worldwide.

      Notably, the film's director, Bernardo Bertolucci, also helmed the top film on this NC-17 list.

      Crash (1996)

      New Line Cinema

      David Cronenberg is renowned for pushing boundaries, and his cult classic Crash certainly exemplifies that — it's distinct from the Best Picture winner of the same name.

      Starring James Spader, who had a string of daring movie roles starting with Sex, Lies, and Videotape, this film, adapted from J.G. Ballard's 1973 novel, revolves around a film producer who becomes involved with a group of symphorophiliacs — individuals aroused by accidents, particularly car crashes.

      The film won a Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and concerned many viewers due to its unapologetic exploration of its themes, ultimately grossing $2.6 million.

      All of these figures are sourced from BoxOfficeMojo.

      Happiness (1998)

      Good Machine Releasing

      This challenging film by Todd Solondz serves as a follow-up to his comparatively mild Welcome to the Dollhouse — a movie not often described as “mild.”

      One of the most disturbing narratives involves an unrepentant child predator, played by Dylan Baker, and the repercussions of his vile actions on his son.

      The film earned just shy of $3 million overall.

      Shame (2011)

      Fox Searchlight Pictures

      A profound film from director Steve McQueen, who later won the Best Picture Oscar for his 2013 work 12 Years a Slave.

      Shame tells the story of a sex addict portrayed by Michael Fassbender, while Carey Mulligan plays his sister, who is unaware of his addiction. The film's tone is unyielding and unsettling.

      Shame garnered $19 million at the box office and is the most recent film on this list, indicating the lengths filmmakers now go to avoid NC-17 ratings.

      Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1990)

      Lauren Films

      A quintessential example of the kind of film that prompted the NC-17 rating, this is the first of two Pedro Almodóvar films on this list.

      Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! centers on Ricky (Antonio Banderas), a 23-year-old former mental patient who kidnaps an adult actress, Marina (Victoria Abril). The story intensifies