movies

So I was going to say that in general theaters won't play films that are unrated or rated NC-17, although you might get a small independent theater to play an unrated film.

However in article discussing the film Terrifier 3,

Before the pandemic, few movie theaters would book a title that didn’t have a rating, because of strict limits on TV advertising, among other things. But times have changed, and Terrifier 3 was able to secure a berth in 2,513 cinemas.

...had [Terrifier 3] been submitted, it risked receiving an NC-17 rating, meaning that no one 17 or younger could buy a ticket, period.

theaters carrying the film, including the three biggest circuits (AMC, Cinemark and Regal), are treating Terrifier 3 as if it were an R-rated film

So it sounds like an unrated film could play in a major theater. However the film Terrifier 3 is a horror film and likely has a lot of violence, which culturally speaking Americans are more ok with. Your example is around sex which Americans are usually more taboo about.

Obviously it depends on the film, but I think if you made a film you think would get an NC-17 rating, you'd be better off releasing it as unrated and then trying to convince (major) theaters the film will be successful enough to make money in order to get it shown.