Tobacco Use in Top-Grossing Movies — United States, 2010–2018

MMWR Introduction

The Surgeon General concluded that there is a causal relationship between depictions of smoking in movies and the initiation of smoking among young persons. Youths heavily exposed to onscreen smoking imagery are more likely to begin smoking than are those with minimal exposure. To assess tobacco-use imagery in top-grossing youth-rated movies (General Audiences [G], Parental Guidance [PG], and Parents Strongly Cautioned [PG-13]), 2010-2018 data from the Breathe California Sacramento Region and University of California-San Francisco’s Onscreen Tobacco Database were analyzed. For the first time, this report also analyzed type of movie (e.g., fictional, biographical drama) and type of character who uses tobacco (e.g., fictional character vs. portrayal of actual person).

Continued efforts could help reduce tobacco incidents in top-grossing movies, particularly in PG-13 biographical dramas, to help prevent youth smoking initiation. Giving movies with tobacco incidents an R rating would eliminate tobacco product imagery from youth-rated films.

MMWR Highlights

Number of US Top-Grossing Movies with any Tobacco Incidents, 2010-2018

• In 2018, among 139 top-grossing movies, 64 (46%) included tobacco incidents, compared with 62 (45%) of 137 in 2010.
• During 2010– 2018, the number of top-grossing movies with tobacco incidents was highest in 2013 (76) and lowest in 2014 (58).
• Among youth-rated movies (G, PG, or PG-13), 26 of 84 (31%) had tobacco incidents in 2018, compared with 27 of 88 (31%) in 2010.
• Among 55 top-grossing R-rated movies, 38 (69%) had tobacco incidents in 2018, compared with 35 of 49 (71%) in 2010.

Number of Tobacco Incidents in US Top-Grossing Movies with any Tobacco Incidents, by Rating, 2010–2018

• Among all movies, the total number of tobacco incidents in top-grossing movies increased by 57% (from 1,824 to 2,868).
• Among G or PG movies, the total number of tobacco incidents decreased by 43% (from 30 to 17).
• Among PG-13 movies, the total number of tobacco incidents increased by 120% (from 564 to 1,241).
• Among R rated movies, the total number of tobacco incidents increased by 31% (from 1,230 to 1,610).

Number of U.S. Top-Grossing Movies with any Tobacco Incidents, by Movie Studio, 2018

• Comcast (Universal) had 0 G/PG movies, 5 PG-13 movies, and 3 R movies with tobacco incidents in 2018.
• Disney had 0 G/PG movies, 0 PG-13 movies, and 0 R movies with tobacco incidents in 2018.
• Fox had 0 G/PG movies, 6 PG-13 movies, and 7 R movies with tobacco incidents in 2018.
• Independent movie studios had 2 G/PG movies, 6 PG-13 movies, and 14 R movies with tobacco incidents in 2018.
• Sony had 1 G/PG movies, 3 PG-13 movies, and 7 R movies with tobacco incidents in 2018.
• Time Warner (Warner Bros.) had 0 G/PG movies, 3 PG-13 movies, and 4 R movies with tobacco incidents in 2018.
• Viacom (Paramount) had 0 G/PG movies, 0 PG-13 movies, and 3 R movies with tobacco incidents in 2018.

PG-13-Rated Movies, by Genre and Character Type, 2010-2018

• Tobacco incidents in fictional PG-13-rated movies declined 57% (511) in 2010 to an all-time low (221) in 2018.
• Although PG-13–rated, fictional movies with tobacco incidents declined 40% during 2010–2018, the number of PG-13–rated biographical dramas with tobacco incidents increased 222%.
• In 2018, biographical dramas accounted for most tobacco incidents, including 82% of incidents in PG-13–rated movies; 73% of characters who used tobacco in biographical dramas were fictional.