Movie Ratings and Attendance

Quite some time ago, I read an article explaining a decline in movie attendance that coincided with the introduction of the MPAA rating system. Before the rating system was in place, all movies were in the G/PG category under the "Production Code." Once the rating system came out, filmmakers were allowed to put whatever they wanted into their movies because everyone would be warned what was in it by the rating.

I had mentioned the contents of the article to several people as a point on interest. Today, is searching for the article, I found a rebuttal. I'm not sure if I ever found the article that I read, but a very similar one can be found at opinionjournal.com by Michael Medved. The rebuttal can be found at lacitybeat.com.

The rebuttal doesn't attempt to address the entire argument made by Medved, but does attack one of the central pillars of that argument, and quite successfully so, it seems. I'd be very interested to hear Medved's response to the rebuttal and to have him reframe his argument (which still has legs) without the discredited fact. I wonder how persuasive it would be.