"Fritz" received an X rating from the Motion Picture Association of America, equivalent to the modern NC-17 rating. the first American animated film to receive such rating. However, at the time, the rating was associated with more arthouse fare, and since the recently released Melvin Van Peebles film "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song", which was released through Cinemation, had received both an X rating and considerable success, the distributor hoped that "Fritz the Cat" would be even more profitable. Producer Krantz stated that the film lost playdates due to the rating, and 30 American newspapers rejected display advertisements for it or refused to give it editorial publicity. The film's limited screenings led Cinemation to exploit the film's content in its promotion of the film, advertising it as containing "90 minutes of violence, excitement, and SEX ... he's X-rated and animated!" According to Ralph Bakshi, "We almost didn't deliver the picture, because of the exploitation of it."