It had been feared the steamy thriller - which stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman - would be given a restrictive NC-17 certificate.

Although an NC-17 certificate merely bans under-17s from seeing the film, studios can have trouble making money from such a film as cinemas are reluctant to show them.

But the R rating - broadly in line with the UK's 18 classification - means younger teenagers can see them with a guardian, and cinemas are happy to show them.

Little is known about Eyes Wide Shut, which was shot over 15 months in the UK under tight secrecy, and stars Cruise and Kidman as married psychiatrists. It is believed to be loosely based on Arthur Schnitzler's 1926 novella Dream Story.

Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise moved to the UK to work on the film

Curiosity - and rumours - about the movie increased when a trailer for the film was released shortly after Kubrick's death from natural causes in March. It depicts Cruise and Kidman in a naked embrace.

Kubrick banned studios from making edits to his films after he had finished with them, and Tom Cruise said he would defend Eyes Wide Shut's integrity in his place.

Warner Brothers executives have said they were confident the film would get an R certificate from the Motion Picture Association of America, a condition in the film's contract.

Previous films with NC-17 certificates, such as Showgirls, Last Tango In Paris and Crash, have become notorious for their depiction of sexuality.

But other films which caused a sensation at the time they were released - such as Basic Instinct - received an R rating.