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Hollywood's Response

After years of silence, in early 2007, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) announced a new ratings clarification to consider smoking as a factor when it rates movies.

But the action failed to address concerns of major public health groups and parents nationwide regarding the strong, research-proven link between images kids see on the silver screen and youth starting to smoke.

Read the Press Release here.

Despite this policy, youth will continue to be exposed to billions of tobacco impressions each year through movies that are rated just for them.

In the summer of 2007, one movie, “Hairspray,” was tagged with a PG ratings descriptor to include “momentary scene smoking,” but the movie still had more smoking than the original 1988 release on which it’s based!

The Studios

• The Weinstein Company
  In 2006, former Maryland Attorney General Joseph Curran and 34 other Attorneys General requested that the MPAA and major studios show the foundation’s truth® youth smoking prevention PSAs before DVDs where images of smoking would be seen by youth. The Weinstein Company is the only company so far to voluntarily agree to embed the truth® spots into its DVDs, including:
  • Black Christmas
  • Bobby
  • Breaking and Entering
  • Clerks II
  • Days of Glory
  • Hannibal Rising
  • Mrs. Potter
  • School for Scoundrels
  • Shut Up & Sing
  • The Protector

   

• The Walt Disney Company
  The Walt Disney Company, the most recognized global family entertainment company, pledged to Congress that "depictions of cigarette smoking in future Disney-branded films will be non-existent." Disney has also agreed to “place an anti-smoking PSA on DVDs of any future film that does depict cigarette smoking.”

  Read Disney’s policy announcement.
  

• Universal Studios
  Universal Studios has undertaken efforts to reduce depictions of tobacco smoking in films that are rated for a youth audience. The company has also put in place a variety of policies and procedures that will discourage depictions of tobacco smoking and minimize the occurrence of smoking incidents in any of their films.

  Learn more.
  

Contact:
If your organization is interested in participating in activities related to Smoke Free Movies, please contact Laura Cruzada.