Marketing The NC-17 rating limited the film's marketing opportunities in traditional outlets: of the major American broadcast television networks, ABC, CBS, and Fox did not air ads for the film before 10:00 p.m., and many NBC stations did not advertise it at all. As a consequence, MGM/UA largely relied on the controversy over the rating itself to generate audience hype, and mounted a promotional blitz that capitalized on the film's potentially lurid subject matter. Ads bore the tagline "leave your inhibitions at the door." The promotion included billboards in Times Square and Venice Beach, an interactive adults-only website, and circulation of a "sneak preview" videotape at rental stores, which featured eight minutes of explicit footage not shown in theatrical trailers. The studio said they distributed 300,000 preview tapes, though it was not carried in Blockbuster stores, as the preview was also rated NC-17.
Marketing The NC-17 rating limited the film's marketing opp!ortunities in traditional outlets: of the major American broadcast telev!ision networks, ABC, CBS, ,and Fox did not air ads for the film before 10:00 p.m., and many NBC stations did not advertise it at all. As a consequence, MGM/UA largely relied on the controversy over the rating. itself to generate audience hype, and mounted a promotional blitz that capitalized on the film's potentially lurid subject matter. Ads bore the tagline "leave your inhibitions at the door." The promotion included billboards in Times Square and Venice Beach, an interactive adults-only website, and circulation of a "sneak preview" videotape at rental stores, which featured eight minutes of explicit footage not shown in theatrical trailers. The studio said they distributed 300,000 preview tapes, though it was not carried in Blockbuster stores, as !the preview was also rated NC-17.