# How much does it cost to certify a film with the MPAA? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 16, 2001, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-it-cost-to-certify-a-film-with-the-mpaa/81909 "2001-09-16T00:55:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2001, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-it-cost-to-certify-a-film-with-the-mpaa/81909/1 "2001-09-16T00:55:58Z")
I don’t know _why_ I thought of thought of this question, since I’m not into filmmaking, but here goes anyway: How much does it cost, if anything (I think it does cost something), to certify a film with the Motion Picture Association of America? And what does it actually give you, besides the right to show a film in most theaters, a rating, and a certificate with a number that means absolutely nothing? ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2001, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-it-cost-to-certify-a-film-with-the-mpaa/81909/2 "2001-09-16T23:24:51Z")
Most theaters won’t show an unrated film as films without ratings (aside from foreign fare, obviously) usually fall under the category of pornography. (I think I remember reading that you can rate your film X or XXX without the benefit of the MPAA, but if you want anything G through NC-17 you need to submit it to them.) If you make a Disney-esque children’s film and release it as “unrated” it’s going to be a pretty tough sell. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-it-cost-to-certify-a-film-with-the-mpaa/81909/3 "2001-09-17T01:26:51Z")
A couple years ago Entertainment Weekly had a sidebar story about this. I’m going from memory but, I think, if the film was 30 minutes or less it only cost $300 to submit it and get an official MPAA rating. Above 30 minutes and the price jumps into the thousands. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-it-cost-to-certify-a-film-with-the-mpaa/81909/4 "2001-09-17T01:48:15Z")
If you want to pay $ 1.50 for the privilege this Washington Post article will probably tell you what you want to know. > **[The Washington Post: Breaking News, World, US, DC News and Analysis](https://www.washingtonpost.com/)** > > Breaking news and analysis on politics, business, world national news, entertainment more. In-depth DC, Virginia, Maryland news coverage including traffic, weather, crime, education, restaurant reviews and more. Rated S, for Secret A Former Film Rater Breaks the Code of Silence and Tells How 13 People Judge 760 Movies a Year. Sharon Waxman Washington Post Staff Writer April 8, 2001; Page G1 Section: Sunday Arts Word Count: 2619 Every workday for 4 1/2 years, Jay Landers would climb into his worn 1983 Mazda sedan and drive to his job in a windowless office at a quiet, three-story building in Encino. It was a top-secret assignment. No one, not even close friends and relatives, were to know the details of his work for the Motion Picture Association of America. Jay Landers was a movie rater. Every day he would watch an average of three films, meet with colleagues to discuss the movies’ plots, and write confi Click for complete article