Research shows that sex scenes in Hollywood films are rapidly declining

So much time has been spent shouting online about sex scenes in movies and on TV – whether or not they are freewhether they are of fundamental importance a realistic representation of lifewhether they are stimulating pleasureand or they insult Penn Badgley’s wife – that discourse has now made its debut meme territory. But passionate defenders of heavy drama may be right to make a fuss about what they deem culturally valuable: According to a new study, the portrayal of it in mainstream Hollywood films has fallen dramatically over the past two decades.

In a study conducted for The Economist, data researcher Stephen Follows looked at the 250 highest-grossing films of each year since 2000 to chart the amount of sex in major studio productions (with an emphasis on positive encounters versus acts of sexual violence). What he found was a 40% drop in sexual content over the past twenty years. Another breakdown illustrates that the statistic is directly related to the amount of sex in major releases, rather than a shift by studios to reduce nudity and be more suggestive. Follows’ data crunching shows that almost 50% of films released between 2019 and 2023 contained no sexual content, compared to around 20% in the early 2000s. He found that the decline was particularly noticeable in box office action films and thrillers produced.

Sex hasn’t disappeared from the movies – Emma Stone just snagged an Oscar and gave it to prudes everywhere for her role as the sexually awakened Bella in last year’s highly explicit film. Poor things. In fact, the film was a hit by arthouse standards, grossing $34 million in the United States and $117 million worldwide. But that total doesn’t even put it in the top 50 highest-grossing films of 2023. Sex in movies becomes an indie chase. (Though kudos for that Oppenheimer because it is both a huge hit and features a scene where the main character says, “I have become death” while being ridden by his lover.)

What’s behind the apparent tightening of Hollywood’s self-imposed chastity belt? From this comes a conclusion that feels good: there has been a major cultural shift in the way we talk and think about sex. An increased focus on consent, gender representation, the male gaze, the on-set practices required for screen simulation, and the fine line between gratuitous and indecent have all led to an intense examination of nudity and depictions of intimacy, to the point where they are movies are allowed. may not be worth it for studios (who, as we know, are in the business of profit and not art). Over the past twenty years there has been a shift towards a more global business, which also means relying on global censorship to determine whether films can be opened in a given country at all.

In previous research, Follows found that there has also been a dramatic increase in the number of permanent intimacy coordinators in the wake of the #MeToo conversation, but any correlation with the actual portrayal of sex feels questionable. The answers seem simpler, clarified by the analysis of the vulture critic Bilge Ebiri most important sex scenes in film history. The list is littered with films from a category that was alive and well in the 1990s and early 2000s, but is now extinct: the mid-budget drama. As the film industry expanded into four-quadrant blockbusters, studios lost the plot on creating buzz through the grounded human element. Sexy thrillers like Out of sightromantic dramas like Love and basketballor R-rated filmmaker-driven odysseys like Boogie nights become rarities. The Marvel Way became THE Way – and the Marvel Way doesn’t even do kissing well. Sure, the discourse on sexual intercourse could turn a movie’s marketing into a minefield in 2024, and intimacy coordinators could argue whether a sex scene is “necessary” to tell a story, but Hollywood was in business long before “Gen Z” began removing sex scenes from its production. asking questions.

There are actors and filmmakers who will still fight to bring sexuality to the screen, producers who will gamble on its inclusion, and studios brave enough to release these films, but even truly daring films in 2024 would pass the test of Follows did not pass. Challengers, a drama praised for making audiences tingle, is explicit in its sexuality, but not so much in the sex — aside from some passionate kissing, the deeper contact is only implied. Note: The movie is still hugely popular, but for sex scene advocates, this isn’t the juice. And there are few films on the 2024 release calendar that will deliver on that. Unless Despicable me 4 hides a very big secret: it will be another year with minimal physical contact in the cinema.

For well-polished graphs and a deeper look at the dataset, visit Stephen Follows’ website.