{"id":35588,"date":"2024-05-15T10:52:03","date_gmt":"2024-05-15T14:52:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/?p=35588"},"modified":"2024-05-15T10:52:03","modified_gmt":"2024-05-15T14:52:03","slug":"new-study-finds-the-number-of-top-grossing-movies-without-sexual-content-has-increased","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2024\/05\/new-study-finds-the-number-of-top-grossing-movies-without-sexual-content-has-increased.html","title":{"rendered":"New Study Finds the Number of Top-Grossing Movies Without Sexual Content Has Increased"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"movies\"<\/a>
Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A recent study found that the number of movies featuring sex scenes has been steadily declining since 2000. Data analyst Stephen Follows noted<\/a> that by 2023, the number of sex scenes in movies had \u201cfallen by almost 40 percent from the start of the century.\u201d He wrote, \u201cThe declining trend is present in most movie genres, but it\u2019s most intense in thrillers and action movies.\u201d He also pointed out that the number of top-grossing movies without any sexual content has risen \u201cfrom about 18 percent in 2000 to 46 percent in 2023,\u201d per <\/a>The Guardian.<\/em><\/p>\n

Follows didn\u2019t have a definite answer for the cause of these changes in the entertainment industry but presented several theories, including changes in audience tastes, shifts in culture and outdated stereotypes. Another hypothesis hinted at Gen Z\u2019s attitude towards sexual content. He explained<\/a>, \u201cModern audiences, particularly younger ones such as Generation Z, might have less interest in explicit depictions of sexuality. Instead, there is a growing preference for content that either avoids sexual themes altogether or handles them with more subtlety.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many other studies have looked into Gen Z\u2019s disinterest in movies and shows with explicit sexual content.\u00a0In a recent study conducted at UCLA, nearly half of the respondents\u00a0said<\/a>\u00a0that \u201cthey want to see more content focused on friendships,\u201d with almost 40% saying they want to see more platonic relationships depicted on screen.\u00a0The web publication The Independent<\/em> also reported, \u201cNew research, commissioned by Warner Brothers, has suggested that women now tend to decide what films a couple should see. These same women, according to the polls, are uneasy with scenes which might be thought to stray into the explicit, or exploitative, or inappropriate in some way.\u201d<\/p>\n

In other words, sex doesn\u2019t really sell. According to Movieguide, they\u2019ve been telling the entertainment industry about this for a long time. Twenty years of their annual Reports to the Entertainment Industry have shown that explicit sex is a death knell when it comes to attracting a general audience. Of course, R-rated sex movies can reach a limited audience, like R-rated horror movies can, but if you have a funny story of light romance, such as \u201cMy Big Fat Greek Wedding\u201d or \u201cThe Runaway Bride,\u201d that will reach a wider much audience. Thus, it makes really good business sense to leave out explicit sex.<\/p>\n

Studios are beginning to take note, in part, because international audiences feel the same way. In fact, to even get your movie into many countries, you must cut out the explicit sex. If dialogue in a sex scene is part of the story, it makes good business sense just to dump the explicit sex in favor of a scene that can be shown internationally.<\/p>\n

Explicit sex tends to result in an R rating. So, perhaps Hollywood moguls are finally learning that R ratings seriously reduce their box office returns. While they still make many R-rated movies, their biggest budgets are reserved for PG and PG-13 movies. These are the ones they hope will sell internationally.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A recent study found that the number of movies featuring sex scenes has been steadily declining since 2000. Data analyst Stephen Follows noted that by 2023, the number of sex scenes in movies had \u201cfallen by almost 40 percent from the start of the century.\u201d He wrote, \u201cThe declining trend is present in most movie…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":657,"featured_media":35594,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7,3],"tags":[933,6389],"class_list":["post-35588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","category-movies","tag-movies-2","tag-sexual-content"],"yoast_head":"\nNew Study Finds the Number of Top-Grossing Movies Without Sexual Content Has Increased<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Data analyst Stephen Follows noted that, by 2023, the number of sex scenes in movies had \u201cfallen by almost 40 percent.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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