Rating System Wiki
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No one younger than 15 may see 15-rated content in a cinema. No one younger than 15 may rent or buy a 15-rated video.

–BBFC

BBFC 15
BBFC 15 2002

2002–2019

15 is a certificate given by the BBFC determining that a particular form of media is suitable only for persons aged 15 or over. Nobody younger than 15 can buy a 15-rated video, or see a 15-rated film in a cinema. Introduced in 1982, it is the spiritual successor to the AA certificate (although AA means 14+). The age restriction of the 15 certificate is enforced by councils, not the BBFC.

The BBFC 15 rating is equivalent to an R rating from the MPA in the United States, the difference is that the R-rating means a movie is for ages 17 and up and partially restrictive (Examples of 15-rated films include Deadpool, Deadpool 2, Ted, Ted 2, Sausage Party, South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut, Logan, SCRE4M, John Wick, RRR, Joker, The Purge, The First Purge, The Purge: Anarchy, The Purge: Election Year, Get Out, Kick-Ass, Kick-Ass 2, The Suicide Squad, Hustlers, Magic Mike, Hereditary, The Crazy Kids, Parasite, Good Boys, 300, The Conjuring Universe, the Final Destination series & IT). It is also an equivalent to the TV Parental Guidelines' hard TV-14 and soft TV-MA as many popular anime series also receive this rating.

Along with the 18 rating, the BBFC 15 rating was also used as an available classification for video games prior to 2012, when PEGI ratings became legally binding.

List[]

  • As of January 10, 2025, there are over 74,900 15 rated titles according to IMDb. (list)

Content guidelines[]

Dangerous behaviour

Highly dangerous behaviour should not dwell on detail that could be copied. Whether the depiction of easily accessible weapons is acceptable will depend on factors such as realism, context and setting.

Discrimination

Discriminatory language, themes and behaviour are permitted, but must not be endorsed by the content as a whole.

Drugs

Drug and substance misuse may be shown, but should not be promoted or encouraged by the content as a whole.

Language

There may be strong language. Very strong language may be permitted depending on the context and frequency.

Nudity

Sexualised nudity may be permitted, but graphic detail should be brief and justified by context.

Sex

Sexual activity may be portrayed, but usually without graphic detail. There may be strong sex references, but frequent crude references are unlikely to be acceptable. Content that, when taken as a whole, has the primary purpose of sexual arousal is unacceptable.

Sexual violence

There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence or abusive behaviour, but graphic descriptions of specific acts are unlikely to be acceptable. The stronger forms of sexual violence, including rape, must not be detailed or prolonged. An intense and sustained focus on sexual threat is unacceptable.

Suicide and self-harm

Scenes of suicide and self-harm should not be frequent or endorsed. Glamorisation of suicide or self-harm may result in a higher rating. Graphic depictions or detailed references are unlikely to be permitted.

Threat and horror

There may be strong threat and horror. A sustained focus on sadistic threat is unlikely to be acceptable.

Violence

Violence may be strong but there should not be sustained focus on the infliction of pain or victims’ suffering. The strongest gory images may occur if justified by context (for example, war, medical detail). Prolonged sadistic violence is unlikely to be acceptable.

Statistics[]

2022 Annual Report and Accounts: 425 films for cinema release were given 15 certificates, of which 5 were cut for that category.

Trivia[]

  • Some NC-17 films, or films which have been edited to avoid an NC-17 rating in the United States (such as Resident Evil, Monsters Ball, American Pie and Bad Education) have been classified 15 in their uncut forms by the BBFC. Some films rated PG-13 in the United States (such as Insidious, Truth or Dare, Nerve, Happy Death Day, Venom, Gunner Palace, Suicide Squad, Split, Yoga Hosers, The Batman, Easy A, M3GAN, The Grudge, The Ring, The Sixth Sense, Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Five Nights at Freddy's, for example) have also been classified 15 by the BBFC.
  • Despite the allowance of strong language or very strong language (as long as it is considered to be suitable there based on factors) in a 15 film, most of the films have either mild or moderate language (in line with films rated PG and 12A/12). The 1989 film Batman does not have any strong language involved due to being superhero-friendly. The James Bond films; License to Kill, Goldeneye (originally rated 12 until 2005 due to the level of violence), and Tomorrow Never Dies (rated 12 on VHS and on Blu-ray since 2012, and 15 on DVD until 2012) for example; also forbidding any strong language involved and instead moderate language were used. One of the examples of a 15-rated film not to use strong language is Dracula Untold due to the use of mild language. Margin Call has a single use of very strong language. Bad Language (2016) had reduced instances of very strong language to receive a 15 classification for home entertainment while not releasing the film into cinemas or the uncut version. The Angels' Share had reduced instances of very strong language, especially the most aggressive uses, to receive a 15 classification instead of 18 in cinema. The cut version has been released in both cinemas and home entertainment, but for the uncut version it was rated 18 and it was released only on home entertainment. In Gladiator (2000), there is no use of strong language at all and instead moderate bad language (e.g. whore) was used due to historical context.
  • Some 15 rated films may be rated 18 on either home media or on alternate cuts (such as director's cut/extended/unrated cuts etc), for example, Sausage Party, which happens to be rated 15 on theatrical and DVD releases; on Blu-ray it is rated 18. Straight Outta Compton's theatrical cut was rated 15 while the director's cut is rated 18. Additionally, the cut version of the 2019 superhero horror film Brightburn was rated 15 while the uncut version was rated 18 as is the case for the 2020 sci-fi supernatural horror film The Invisible Man and the 2018 spy thriller Red Sparrow. Additionally certain bonus features may cause a 15 rating, for example, I, Robot, a 12A rated film, was initially rated 15 on DVD and Blu-ray for featuring trailers for Aliens vs. Predator and 24 (Season 3), both of which are 15 rated material. Additionally Season 17 of The Simpsons was rated 15 on DVD for the commentary on the episode "My Fair Laddy" as well as the deleted scenes gallery. The strangest case is the squeaky clean Sunday School Musical receiving a 15 on home media for including the distributor The Asylum's horror film trailers before it which contained strong bloody violence. Additionally some 18 rated works have been re-rated 15, an example is the 1997 teen slasher I Know What You Did Last Summer which while originally rated 18 in theaters was rated 15 when it came to home media.
  • For the past 24 years, most of the classic horror films have been re-rated from 18 to 15 such as The Terminator (despite being classified as science-fiction action-adventure), Halloween, Friday The 13th, Child's Play, The Shining and Carrie.[1]
  • Fifteening is a practice related to the BBFC rating which consists of achieving the homonym rating as a way to show that the content is not for children which is an UK variant of the trope Avoid the dreaded G rating. The most notorious case is Manga Entertainment's old dubs' practice of adding a lot of strong language/F-bombs in order to secure a higher rating, although another case of it would be There Will Be Blood which was re-rated as 15 on appeal by the distributor itself as they thought 12A was too low.[2]
15-small

References[]

External links[]

British Board of Film Classification (BBFC)
BBFC U BBFC PG BBFC 12A BBFC 12 BBFC 15 BBFC 18 BBFC R18

Formerly used certificates: A | H | X | AA | Uc | PG-12

History of certificates | Video Recordings Act 1984 | Rejected works | Cut works | Discrepancies

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