“Another study of 800 Movies showed, ‘nudity’ is a negative predictor of Box Office Revenue in U.S. (A. Cerridwen and D.K. Simonton, 2009).”

– Smt. K.B. Valsalakumari, I.A.S. (Retd.)-Principal Secretary (Retd.), Government of Kerala in ‘Report of Expert Committee constituted by Government of Kerala‘.

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U.S. Domestic Gross for Ang Lee’s Lust, Caution (2007) was less than 5 Million, or less than a third of Production Budget. It illustrates an important question. Does ‘sex sell’?

Our sample consisted of 914 Fiction Films (870 Live and 44 Animated) released from 2001 to 2005, omitting Documentaries, Stand-Up Comedy Films and Re-Releases. The upshot of diverse analyses is, sex neither sells nor impresses. If goal is to make money, cinematic violence is a far more reliable path to a big Box Office, even if this route can have costs with respect to Film Reviews and Movie Awards. The fact ‘sex is cheap’ cannot justify its inclusion.

What about Titanic (1997)? Top 10 Films of all time are ranked as follows: 1. Gone with the Wind (minor sex/nudity), 2. Star Wars (no sex/nudity), 3. The Sound of Music (G), 4. E.T. The Extraterrestrial (no sex/nudity), 5. The Ten Commandments (G), 6. Titanic (PG-13, heavy sex/nudity), 7. Jaws (mild sex/nudity), 8. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (G), 9. Doctor Zhivago (PG-13 for mature themes), 10. Ben Hur (G). Furthermore, Top 10 among 914 in current sample are 1. Shrek (mild sex/nudity), 2. Spider Man (moderate sex/nudity), 3. Stars Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (mild sex/nudity), 4. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (minor sex/nudity), 5. Spider Man 2 (mild sex/nudity), 6. The Passion of the Christ (minor sex/nudity), 7. The Lord of the Rings: The Twin Towers (minor sex/nudity), 8. Finding Nemo (no sex/nudity, 9. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (no sex/nudity), 10. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (no sex/nudity).

In context of these rankings, one classic and another contemporary, Titanic (1997) appears to be an anomaly. Titanic can be falsely singled out as a typical rather than atypical.

– A. Cerridwen and D.K. Simonton, “Sex Doesn’t Sell – Nor Impress! Content, Box Office, Critics, and Awards in Mainstream Cinema“, Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, Volume 3, No. 4, 2009.

Note: Thank You to Akshit Soni, akshitsoni3@gmail.com, for procuring this 2009 article.

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On request of Women in Cinema Collective, Government of Kerala in 2017 constituted Hema Committee to study issues being faced by women in Malayalam Cinema Industry. High Court will look into grievances of those who had deposed before Hema Committee, that they are not unnecessarily harassed or coerced or compelled to depose before SIT.

– Hon’ble Justice Vikram Nath, Sajimon Parayil v. State of Kerala, [Special Leave Petition (Civil) Nos. 25250-25271 of 2024] decided on 07.02.2025.