The Numbers has published a curious breakdown of North American theatrical revenues for 2021:
Gross revenue by rating
| Rank | MPAA Rating | Movies | 2021 Gross | Tickets | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PG-13 | 80 | $2,924,231,820 | 318,891,121 | 64.22% |
| 2 | R | 119 | $912,030,038 | 99,457,986 | 20.03% |
| 3 | PG | 36 | $642,496,716 | 70,065,060 | 14.11% |
| 4 | G | 3 | $40,574,962 | 4,424,750 | 0.89% |
| 5 | Not Rated | 2 | $44,361 | 4,837 | 0.00% |
What’s so curious? Well, let’s see how much money the average film has grossed depending on its rating:
Average revenue by rating
| MPAA Rating | Average revenue per film |
|---|---|
| PG-13 | $36,552,898 |
| R | $7,664,118 |
| PG | $17,847,131 |
| G | $13,524,987 |
| Not Rated | $22,181 |
The average R-rated film appears to underperform all other categories except Not Rated. Why? My working theory is, adult-oriented films have lost a lot of their audience to video games and home entertainment such as HBO and Netflix. Children, meanwhile, still go to the movies, often with parents…