( EW.com ) -- Regal Cinemas , the largest theater chain in the country , will play the unrated documentary `` Bully '' in its theaters , the company announced today . `` Regal intends to play the film and respect the original R rating decision of the MPAA , '' says Regal spokesperson Dick Westerling . `` We will treat the film like it was rated R. '' The decision means children 17 and under must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to see the film . The move strikes a harder line than the one taken by AMC Theaters , which is allowing minors to see the acclaimed film -- which chronicles the epidemic of brutal adolescent bullying -- as long as they have written permission from a parent or guardian . Meanwhile , The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Carmike and Cinemark theaters will not be screening `` Bully , '' adhering to a long-standing tradition by major theater chains of not showing films that do not carry a rating by the MPAA . The Weinstein Company decided on Monday that it would release the film unrated after the MPAA refused to lower the R rating it gave the film last month . It opens in five theaters in New York and Los Angeles on Friday , and begins expanding nationwide in the weeks ahead . See the full article at EW.com . CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . © 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved .
`` We will treat the film [ Bully ] like it was rated R , '' a Regal cinema spokesperson . The movie is based on an incident in which two boys were attacked by another boy and their mother tried to stop it. The MPAA refused to lower the R rating it gave the film last month .