The wildly graphic sex scenes from films such as Poor Things and Saltburn shocked viewers and critics alike when they hit cinemas last year.
But new research shows that such films are becoming increasingly rare. Data shows that the level of explicit content has fallen dramatically by almost 40 percent in 2000, as Hollywood and ‘squeaky clean’ viewers take a new look at sex on screen.
Data researcher Stephen Follows’ study looked at the 250 top-grossing films in the United States every year since 2000, tracking their sexual content using sources such as film database IMDb and the British Board of Film Classication (BBFC).
Strikingly, almost half of films released last year contained no sexual content, while this share was less than a fifth in 2000, according to the analysis, which was first published in The Economist.
The biggest decline in sexual content was seen in thriller and action films, with a 70 percent decline over more than two decades.
On the other hand, the number of scenes involving alcohol, drugs, violence or coarse language remains higher than the number of scenes involving sex.
Stephen Follows’ research shows that sexual content in films has declined by 40 percent since 2000
Thriller and action films experienced a 70 percent decline in the period analyzed – the largest decline
The few sex scenes that have been shot recently have become increasingly explicit than the heyday of ’90s cinema, such as Sharon Stone’s infamous leg-crossing in Basic Instinct or Kate Winslet and Leonardo Di Caprio’s steamy car sex scene in Titanic.
Last year, two films, Saltburn, starring Barry Keoghan, and Fair Play, starring Bridgerton’s Phoebe Dynevor, featured characters performing oral sex on menstruating women.
In even more explicit scenes in Saltburn, Keoghan’s character Oliver, who harbors a twisted obsession with his wealthy friend Felix, is shown sipping the dirty water from his bathtub and later simulating intercourse with his newly dug grave.
In the award-winning Victorian fantasy film Poor Things, Emma Stone plays Bella Baxter, a woman brought back to life by an experimental scientist who embarks on an uninhibited journey of sexual awakening.
And the reasons behind the surprising shift?
The wholesome movie Barbie was a summer blockbuster and contained no explicit sex scenes
Oppenheimer starring Cillian Murphy and Florence Pugh told the story of the team of scientists who developed the first atomic bomb
Follows says “squeaky clean” content is now in vogue, and as a result there are more wholesome movies on screen for people to watch.
Evolving viewer tastes are also driving the change, with younger Gen Z viewers in particular less willing to experience explicit sex scenes, he suggests.
A progressive audience is more likely to reject outdated stereotypes, which can be seen as objectifying women through a dominant male gaze, in favor of a more ‘authentic and respectful’ alternative.
‘Modern audiences may be less interested in explicit depictions of sexuality. Instead, there is a growing preference for content that avoids sexual themes altogether or deals with them in a more subtle way,” he says.
Follows suggests that the proliferation of movements like #MeToo and others, which have helped shape the conversation around consent and gender representation, “have likely contributed to a more cautious approach to including sex scenes in films.”
The 2000 film Scary Movie contained many spicy sex scenes starring: Jon Abrahams
Comedy Meet the Parents starring Ben Stiller also featured passionate scenes
Jim Carrey and Renee Zellweger starred in the 2000 film Me, Myself and Irene, which was full of sex scenes
The rise of Intimacy Coordinators in an effort to tackle inappropriate behavior on sets, he said, could “discourage gratuitous sex scenes unless they serve a critical narrative purpose.”
Filmmakers, he says, are “sensitive” to the perception of sexual content and the way it could spark controversy among viewers and critics.
Hollywood must also consider international audiences, and filmmakers who want to avoid censorship in certain countries may omit explicit sex scenes in an effort to give their film a broader reach, Follows adds.
He also cites the explosion of streaming platforms and their ability to provide “tailored viewing experiences” means viewers may be less interested in watching sexual content and the wide availability of internet pornography.
Follows continued, “With the ubiquity of Internet pornography, audiences seeking explicit sexual content have a plethora of options readily available online,” Follows added.
‘This may have reduced the need for mainstream cinema to fill this niche, allowing films to focus on other elements of storytelling without the need to include sex scenes to attract viewers.’
In the 2000 film The Beach, backpacker Richard (Leonardo Di Caprio) (left) begins a romance with Françoise (Virginie Ledoyen) (right), on a secret beach, where he later has sex with her.
In Poor Things, Bella Baxter, a woman resurrected by a scientist, is sexually liberated
Nearly half of 10- to 24-year-olds believe sex isn’t necessary to the story in most TV shows and movies, according to a University of California, Los Angeles survey last year.
Alison Taylor, an assistant professor at Australia’s Bond University, suggests the decline in sex scenes was due to several factors, including the demand for big-budget superhero franchise series and the pressure to export films to more conservative countries like China .
In her research, she has cited how tennis drama Challengers uses “suggestions” instead of explicit sex scenes to keep viewers hooked.
In Saltburn, Barry Keoghan’s Oliver performs oral sex on a woman while she is menstruating
Elsewhere in the film, the grief-stricken Oliver simulates intercourse with Felix’s grave
In another scene, after surviving the other characters to claim Saltburn, Oliver dances naked
She said: ‘[Director] Luca Guadignino does for erotic drama what The Texas Chainsaw Massacre did for horror. He promises the audience everything, but knows that power lies in suggestion.
The achievement of ‘Challengers’ lies in capturing the dynamics of sexual tension. It portrays the power games, the negotiations, the distrust and the rivalry in which an exchange of glances feels as graphic as what those glances imply.’
She added that the “vibrant close-ups, slow motion, sweat-drenched” rallies symbolize the passion in the film.
“When the pressure is at fever pitch but not realized, characters must channel it into their play. These matches are close and tense – and the closest challengers can let off steam.”