‘Deep Throat’ Named Landmark Film

LONDON — When “Deep Throat” hit movie theaters in the summer of 1972, Screw Magazine’s Al Goldstein gave it a glowing review, 23 states banned it, and it went on to become the highest-grossing adult movie of its time.

Who knew that it would ever make the same list as “Citizen Kane,” “Vertigo” and “Pulp Fiction”?

Radio Times magazine, a BBC publication, named “Deep Throat” to a list of 100 landmark films that had a large cultural impact. Other movies on the list include “The Birth of a Nation,” “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” “Blade Runner” and “Brokeback Mountain.”

According to Radio Times, “Deep Throat” was the worst movie to make the list, but it took “porn out of the back room and into the cinema.”

Fenton Bailey, co-director of the 2005 documentary “Inside Deep Throat,” wholeheartedly agrees with the blue movie’s inclusion on the list, asserting that it changed the landscape of adult entertainment and sexuality.

“It’s a very important movie,” Bailey told XBIZ. “It captures so many ideas from the sexual revolution, and one of its unintended consequences is that it marked the end of the sexual revolution and the beginning of the commodification of sex and sexuality.”

“Deep Throat” was also the most profitable adult movie of its time, and one of the most profitable adult movies ever. Box office experts dispute its final tally, but even conservative estimates put the total gross at more than $100 million.

“It woke everyone up,” Bailey said. “They said, ‘Oh, my god! There's gold in porn!’”

But, despite the amount of money it made, does it really belong on the same list as “Citizen Kane” and “Vertigo”?

Bailey said yes.

“‘Deep Throat’ is a far more important movie than ‘Citizen Kane’ or ‘Pulp Fiction,’” Bailey said. “Those movies were great artistic statements, but they had no impact on the culture. We live in the porn age, and it's seeping into every aspect of our lives.”

Copyright © 2026 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Report: UK Film Classification Board to Monitor 'Extreme' Content Online

The U.K. government has tapped the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) for a pilot program to monitor online pornography for illegal and “extreme” content, as it prepares to enforce new content restrictions, British media outlet Sky News is reporting.

New Federal Report Slams Debanking but Ignores Adult Industry

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) on Wednesday released a report on debanking activities at nine large national banks, but omitted any mention of the adult industry, despite previously identifying it as a sector facing banking discrimination.

EU Court Rejects Stripchat Challenge of Past VLOP Designation

The EU’s General Court on Wednesday ruled against Stripchat in a lawsuit seeking to annul a 2023 European Commission decision designating the site as a “very large online platform” (VLOP) under the Digital Services Act (DSA).

Aylo Case Against Utah VPN Rule on Hold Pending Legislative Changes

A federal court has paused Aylo’s suit over a Utah law making adult websites liable if minors bypass age verification by circumventing geolocation efforts, until the state legislature can meets to potentially amend the statute.

German High Court Puts Pornhub, YouPorn 'Network Ban' on Hold

A German high court on Friday temporarily barred a state media regulator from ordering internet providers to cut off access to Aylo-owned adult sites Pornhub and YouPorn in Germany, pending further action by Cypriot and European Union authorities.

Luxembourg Media Regulator Fines LiveJasmin for AV Noncompliance

The Luxembourg Independent Audiovisual Authority (ALIA) has levied a fine of 25,000 euros (approximately $28,000) against webcam platform LiveJasmin for failing to comply with provisions of the country’s Electronic Media Law.

AdultHTML Introduces Subscription Option for Website Owners

AdultHTML has added a subscription option for its web development service, allowing site owners to pay a monthly fee for access to developers and tools.

French Parliament Rejects Ban on Purchase of 'Remote' Sexual Services

The French National Assembly has backed off from a proposal to criminalize the purchase, and/or facilitation by online platforms, of sexual services performed remotely by streamers and custom content creators.

2027 XBIZ Exec Awards Pre-Nominations Period Opens

XBIZ is pleased to announce that the pre-nomination period for the 2027 XBIZ Exec Awards, the adult industry’s preeminent career honors, begins Wednesday and runs through Oct. 14.

Takedown Piracy Reports Infiltration, Monitoring of Mega.nz

Takedown Piracy has reported that it successfully infiltrated Mega.nz folders and identified and removed nearly two million instances of stolen content.

Show More