Appropriate for All Viewing Audiences? An Examination of Violent and Sexual Portrayals in Movie Previews Featured on Video Rentals

A content analysis of movie previews on video rentals was conducted to examine the prevalence of violence and sexuality. The majority of previews contained violence, and these portrayals were common across MPAA ratings (G/PG, PG-13, and R). Sexuality was also prevalent, though less frequent than violence, and most likely to appear in PG-13 and R-rated previews. Rates of aggression in previews were positively associated with increased marketing and distribution costs for the previewed films. Results are discussed in terms of the marketing of violent entertainment to youth and in terms of the use of violence to increase viewers' anticipated enjoyment.