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Sex in the Multiplex: a Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Sex in the 250 Most Popular Films on Domestic Release, 2011-2015

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Sex in the Multiplex: a Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Sex in the 250 Most Popular Films on Domestic Release, 2011-2015 Sex in the Multiplex: A Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Sex in the 250 Most Popular Films on Domestic Release, 2011-2015 by John Moran, BA, MA Thesis Submitted for the Award of PhD Dublin City University Dr Debbie Ging, supervisor School of Communications July 2020 DECLARATION I hereby certify that this material, which I now submit for assessment on the programme of study leading to the award of PhD is entirely my own work, that I have exercised reasonable care to ensure that the work is original, and does not to the best of my knowledge breach any law of copyright, and has not been taken from the work of others save and to the extent that such work has been cited and acknowledged within the text of my work. Signed: __________________________ ID No.: ___________ Date: ________ ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration ii List of Tables iii List of Figures iv Abstract v Chapter 1: Introduction 1 Chapter 2: Literature Review 14 Chapter 3: Methodology 48 Chapter 4: Findings 71 Chapter 5: Analysing & Discussion 118 Chapter 6: Conclusion 159 Bibliography 167 Filmography 178 Appendix A 183 Appendix B 188 Appendix C 189 3 List of Tables, 2.1: Details of major studies on sexual content 24 3.1: Extract from spreadsheet for scene descriptions & dialogue 57 4.1: Number of films released & rated per MPAA, BoxOfficeMojo, The-Numbers 71 4.2: Annual box office admissions in millions per MPAA, BoxOfficeMojo, The-Numbers 72 4.3: Number & percentage share of all films on domestic release, 2011-2015, by distributor type 73 4.4: Number & percentage share of all films & admissions, 2011-2015, by MPAA classification 75 4.5: Number & percentage share of sampled films & admissions, by MPAA classification 75 4.6: Number & percentage share of films & admissions for all films on release by production method 75 4.7: Number & percentage share of films & admissions for sampled films by production method 77 4.8: Number & percentage share of films & admissions for all films on release by genre 78 4.9: Number & percentage share of films & admissions for sampled films by genre 79 4.10: Number & share of home entertainment market titles sold by best-selling titles by category 80 4.10: Number & share of home entertainment market titles sold by sampled films titles by category 81 4.11: Value in US$ billions of annual box office revenue for major international markets, 2011-2015 81 4.12: Sampled films’ share of number of films & annual box-office revenues in Western markets 82 4.13: Average & median number of scenes per film at each level of graphicness 84 4.14: Number & share of films studied & scenes identified with spoken references to queer sexuality 98 4.15: Films, scenes, median & percentage share of spoken references to queer sex by MPAA rating 99 4.16: Films, scenes, median & percentage share of spoken references to queer sex by creative type 99 4.17: Films, scenes, median & percentage share of spoken references to queer sex by genre 100 4.18: Films, scenes, median & percentage share of spoken references to heterosexual sex by MPAA classification 100 4.19: Films, scenes, median & percentage share of spoken references to heterosexual sex by creative type 100 4.20: Films, scenes, median & percentage share of spoken references to heterosexual sex by genre 101 4.21: Number & percentage share of scenes featuring spoken references by relationship group 102 4.22: Number & percentage share of scenes featuring spoken references by category 103 4.23: Number & percentage share of scenes featuring spoken references by sexual act referred to 104 4.24: Number & percentage share of scenes featuring spoken references by group 105 4.25: Films, scenes, median & percentage share of scenes featuring depictions by MPAA classification 106 4.26: Films, scenes, median & percentage share of scenes featuring depictions by genre 107 4.27: Films, scenes, median & percentage share of scenes featuring depictions by creative type 108 4.28: Films, scenes, median & percentage share of scenes featuring depictions of queer sex by MPAA 110 4.29: Films, scenes, median & percentage share of scenes featuring depictions of queer sex by creative type 110 4.30: Films, scenes, median & percentage share of scenes featuring depictions of queer sex by creative type 111 4.31: Number & percentage share of films scenes featuring depictions of queer sexuality by gender 111 4.32: Films, scenes, median & percentage share of scenes featuring depictions of heterosexual activity by MPAA 112 4.33: Films, scenes, median & percentage share of scenes featuring depictions of heterosexual activity by creative type 112 4.34: Films, scenes, median & percentage share of scenes featuring depictions of heterosexual activity by genre 113 4.35: Number & percentage share of scenes featuring depictions of sexual activity at each level of graphicness 114 4.36: Number & percentage share of scenes for each group of sexual acts 114 4.37: Number & percentage share of scenes featuring listed sexual acts at each level of graphicness (Leone 2002) 115 4.38: Relationships, number & percentage share of scenes, levels of graphicness 116 4.39: Relationship groups, number & percentage share of scenes 117 6.1: Studies, films studied, scenes identified, films featuring at least one scene & mean scenes per film 118 4 List of Figures 4.1: Sample share of films on domestic release, 2011-2015 74 4.2: Sample share of admissions for films on domestic release, 2011-2015 74 4.3: Share of films on domestic release, 2011-2015, by distributor type 75 4.4: Share of admission for films on domestic release, 2011-2015, by distributor type 75 4.5: Share of all & sampled films on domestic release, 2011,2015, by distributor type 75 4.6: Share of admissions achieved by all & sampled films, 2011-2015, by distributor type 75 4.7: Share of films on domestic release for all films on domestic release & sampled films by MPAA rating 76 4.8: Share of admission for all films on domestic release & sampled films by MPAA rating 76 4.9: Share of films on domestic release, 2011, 2015, & sampled films by production method 77 4.10: Share of admissions for all films om domestic release, 2011-2015, & sampled films by production method 77 4.11: Share of admissions for all films on domestic release, 2011-2015, & sampled films by genre 79 4.12: Number/percentage share of scenes each level of graphicness (per Leone 2002) 83 4.13: Number of scenes at each level of graphicness in films grouped by MPAA rating 84 4.14: Percentage share of scenes at each level of graphicness in films grouped by MPAA rating 85 4.15: Median number of scenes per film at each level of graphicness for films grouped by MPAA rating 86 4.16: Number of scenes at each level of graphicness in films grouped by production method 86 4.17: Median number of scenes per film at each level of graphicness for films grouped by production method 87 4.18: Number of scenes at each level of graphicness in films grouped by creative type 88 4.19: Percentage share of films at each level of graphicness for films grouped by creative type 89 4.20: Medan number of scene per film at each level of graphicness in films grouped by creative type 89 4.21: Number of scenes at each level of graphicness in films grouped by genre 90 4.22: Percentage share of scenes at each level of graphicness for films grouped by genre 91 4.23: Median scenes per film grouped by genre at certain levels of graphicness 92 4.24: Number of films in which scenes featuring spoken references occur 93 4.25: Spoken references, percentage share of scenes, films and median scenes per film by MPAA rating 94 4.26: Spoken references, percentage share of films and scenes by genre 95 4.27: Spoken references, median scenes per film by genre 95 4.28: Spoken references, percentage share of films by creative type 96 4.29: Spoken references, median scenes per film by creative type 97 List of Appendices Appendix A: List of films studied, year of release, MPAA rating, ticket sales & number of sense at each level of graphicness 182 Appendix B: Definitions of character relationships 187 Appendix C: Definitions of dialogue processes 188 Appendix D: Definitions of sexual acts 190 5 Abstract This study consists of a quantitative and qualitative analysis of sex in the 250 most popular films on release in North America between 2011 and 2015. It emerges against a background of discourses on sexualisation and pornification in social scientific and public health research, on the one hand, and a rhetoric of transgression in film studies, on the other. It bridges the gap between these disciplines, between theoretical frameworks, research practices, and methodologies, by employing quantitative and qualitative methods to generate a substantive theory of sex in the films studied. The method consists of selecting films for analysis based on financial data available for films on domestic release, on home entertainment markets, and Western film markets; identifying sexual content by analysing portrayals and spoken references; and using grounded theory to generate the substantive theory. This study establishes that the 250 films selected for study account for 7% of films on domestic release but 70% of ticket sales for films from 2011 to 2015. At least one scene featuring sexual content, either depictions or spoken references, occurred in 96% of films studied. Nongraphic sexual content accounted for 69% of sex scenes. It also found that the prevailing discourse on physical intimacy and sex occurred between characters who are not in a close personal relationship. The substantive theory encompasses the processes of discipline and disclosure that pervade the discourse on sex and physical intimacy as characters feel obliged to reveal their desires and sexual histories, and these revelations are subject to validation, approval or influence from others.
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