Even Boxoffice  (NATO's official magazine), can't get its facts straight on the NC-17 rating. Michael Villapiano, in a November 7 blog post, retails some of the more persistent myths surrounding the rating.

It starts in the first paragraph, which I'll reprint in full:

Historically, the most reasonable solution in avoiding the dreaded NC-17 rating has been releasing films unrated. This technique has allowed filmmakers to circumvent the Motion Picture Association of America, while at the same time enabled more print advertising and wider theatrical exhibition. Many newspapers won’t promote NC-17 films and many theaters won’t screen them. Larry Clark’s debut Kids, Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream and Todd Solondz’s Happiness were all released unrated and made 7.5 million, 3.6 million, and 2.8 million respectively. These numbers may not seem astronomical, yet compared to the figures of NC-17 films, the unrated ones do quite well.

To which I can only respond: