Quick links
18A
DCHP-2 (May 2016)
Spelling variants:18a
n. — abbreviation
a movie rating to restrict viewing to those aged 18 and older, unless accompanied by an adult.
Type: 4. Culturally Significant — A film marked 18A is considered suitable for viewers 18 years of age or older; those who are under 18 must be accompanied by an adult, hence the term 18 Accompaniment or 18A. An 18A movie will likely involve coarse language, sexual activity and explicit violence.
Note that the definition of 18A is only standardized for home videos and not for theatrical releases of motion pictures; thus, theatrical releases' assessment can vary provincially. For example, Manitoba and the Maritimes restrict viewers that are accompanied by an adult to 14 or older, whereas Alberta and Ontario allow all ages under 18 (see Gov't of Manitoba reference). In the home-video context, classification is determined based on an average of provincial Film Review Board ratings that are calculated by Canada's Motion Picture Association and standardized by the voluntary Canadian Home Video Rating System, or CHVRS (see Motion Picture Association reference).
The rating 18A differs from the Canadian "R", or Restricted rating, in which no persons under 18 may attend. The rating 18A in Canada is "roughly equivalent" to the R rating in the US (see first 1999 quotation), which allows underage viewing with adult accompaniment.
Note that the definition of 18A is only standardized for home videos and not for theatrical releases of motion pictures; thus, theatrical releases' assessment can vary provincially. For example, Manitoba and the Maritimes restrict viewers that are accompanied by an adult to 14 or older, whereas Alberta and Ontario allow all ages under 18 (see Gov't of Manitoba reference). In the home-video context, classification is determined based on an average of provincial Film Review Board ratings that are calculated by Canada's Motion Picture Association and standardized by the voluntary Canadian Home Video Rating System, or CHVRS (see Motion Picture Association reference).
The rating 18A differs from the Canadian "R", or Restricted rating, in which no persons under 18 may attend. The rating 18A in Canada is "roughly equivalent" to the R rating in the US (see first 1999 quotation), which allows underage viewing with adult accompaniment.
Quotations
1995
The new system features six rating levels: [...]
- 18A (Adult Accompaniment): Suitable for people 18 years of age or older. Persons under 18 should view with an adult. No rental or purchase by those under 18. Parents strongly cautioned. Will likely contain explicit violence, frequent coarse language, sexual activity and-or horror.
1995
Until the advent of the new Canadian Home Video Classification System, that is. Now, the film's official Canadian rating - be it the all-ages G, a cautionary PG, the restrictive 14A and 18A, which prohibit rental by those under the specified age, or a hard R, which denotes "content unsuitable for minors'' - is right on the box. Which makes that whole "unrated'' thing kind of silly.
1999
(In the U.S., an R rating -- roughly equivalent to Canada's 18A rating -- means viewers under 17 won't be admitted without a parent, while the NC-17 rating -- similar to our Restricted rating -- means no one under 17 can see the film.)
1999
Ontario's chief film watchdog is calling for a new classification code called "18A" that would require teens aged 14 to 18 to be accompanied by an adult to violent movies. The change, already in the works, would be a halfway step between the current "AA" classification, which requires adult accompaniment under age 14, and "R," which restricts all access to age 18 and over. "AA" would be renamed "14A" to avoid confusion. The 18A rating would make it harder for young people to get into many movies, but easier to get into some, said Bob Warren, chair of the Ontario Film Review Board. One example of a film the board rated "AA" that would likely be changed to "18A" is the 1996 Bruce Willis movie Last Man Standing. Warren described it as "just one act of violence after another."
2009
THE FINAL DESTINATION Rating 1
Director: David R. Ellis
Starring: Bobby Campo, Shantel VanSanten, Mykelti Williamson, Nick Savo
Classification: 18a, gory violence
Theatres: Parkland, Grandin, Leduc, City Centre, Clareview, Galaxy, North Edmonton, South Edmonton Common
References
- Gov't of Manitoba • "Manitoba Film Classification Board: Comparison of Canadian Classification Systems"
- Motion Picture Association