Kids (1995): Movies Banned due to Sex; Harmony Korine’s Film was Released Unrated

Larry Clark and Harmony Korine’s 1995 indie Kids courted controversy by featuring a handful of underage characters having sex and engaging in graphic conversations about sex and drugs.

The MPA refused to lower the film’s rating down to an R, so it was eventually released in theaters unrated.

The rating caused problems for the film’s distributor, Miramax. The company bought distribution rights to Kids for  reported $3.5 million.

It was owned by Disney, which had a ban against releasing NC-17 movies. Miramax heads had to buy back the film from Disney and create a one-off distribution company called “Shining Excalibur” Films in order to get the film into theaters.