US cinema chain AMC will open Bully screenings to minors

One of the US's biggest cinema chains, AMC, has decided to allow minors to attend screenings of the controversial documentary Bully , which has been the subject of a certification battle in recent weeks. AMC is the second-largest chain in the country, with over 5,000 screens, and will permit filmgoers under 17 to see the film if they provide a permission slip. This is in contrast to the policy of the third-largest chain, Cinemark, which has refused to show the film at all. The largest chain, Regal, has yet to state its plans. Bully's certificate has been key to its controversial position. A film about high-school bullying by Lee Hirsch and Alicia Dwyer, it was refused a PG-13 rating by the MPAA due to its language, but producer Harvey Weinstein refused to accept the R it was given (which would mean under 17s would require an accompanying adult) and opted to release the film without certificate . Normally, an unrated film is treated like an NC-17: few mainstream cinemas will show it, and those that do will not admit anyone under 17. However, AMC is essentially allowing Bully to operate like an R-rated film – and making it easy to obtain permission slips by posting them on its website. Bully is released on Friday in the US, with two AMC engagements planned; there will undoubtedly be more when Weinstein widens the release a week later.