Disney nixes on-screen smoking
The movie ratings folks plan to crack down on films depicting tobacco smoking, and that's just bad for Disney's bottom line. The health of the audience is another factor. Ashley Milne-Tyte reports.
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Lisa Napoli: The Mouse House is nixing smoking — here's Ashley Milne-Tyte with details:
Ashley Milne-Tyte: Disney is responding to pressure from politicians to cut depictions of smoking in movies. Also, the Motion Picture Association of America said recently that it would consider smoking a factor when it comes to rating movies.
The Hollywood Reporter's Brooks Boliek says that worries studios like Disney. He says if a movie aimed at kids is rated R because it includes smoking, the studio misses out on a big block of its target audience. But, he says, business isn't Disney's only motive.
Brooks Boliek: You know, I don't want to say that they're just money-grubbing pigs, period. I think they do have a concern that maybe they are contributing to teenage smoking and that they don't want to do that. And they've made a determination that, frankly, they can take this step without damaging their bottom line.
Parents may welcome the news, but some actors might not. Boliek says a cigarette is many actors' prop of choice when they're not the focus of a scene.
I'm Ashley Milne-Tyte for Marketplace.
