Will Gluck: Hollywood no longer needs sex scenes

Let's talk about sex scenes at the cinema – or, more specifically, the apparent lack of interest from Gen Z and Gen Alpha in watching all that rumpy-pumpy on the big screen. None other than Will Gluck – the bloke behind Anyone But You and now One Night Only – reckons the younger crowd could give it a miss entirely. And honestly, after reading what he told Variety, he might be onto something.

A Night of Legal Hook-ups and Bonkers Rules

Gluck's latest film, One Night Only, sticks two characters together for an annual occasion when pre-marital sex is suddenly given the government green light. Yes, really. The film comes with its own set of bizarre rules – apparently complicated enough that even the cast can barely explain it. Gluck described the challenge of selling the concept in interviews:

Speaking to Variety about the film's premise and world-building, Will Gluck said: "You can't really describe this movie. [The cast] goes on talk shows and spends 80% of the time explaining the rules of the world, and that's not what the movie is about. We have to just let people see it. That's the best tool we have, especially for something that's this crazy."

To be fair, I'm left scratching my head on how this entire system works within the film. Sex, monitored and regulated by the government? You'd need a flow chart to keep up, but apparently it's best to just let go, watch, and hope the story carries you through all the weirdness.

No Sex Please, We're Young

Now here's the real kicker: Variety pointed out recent research showing that younger audiences – Gen Z and Alpha – aren't mucked about with seeing sex on screen anymore. And Gluck didn't dodge the question. He owned it completely, even mentioning he'd trawled through mountains of data on the topic while making not one, but two separate films:

On the shift in audience attitudes, especially among younger viewers, Gluck explained: "The answer is 100% yes. I went through this on two movies. I have long pages of empirical data about it. The only thing is I don't think it's just Gen Z and Gen Alpha. I believe it's been a societal shift from taking nudity in adult situations and putting them on your phones at home for everybody. Now it's more of a private, intimate thing that people don't want to see when they're in a shared experience. Whenever people now see nudity or very adult situations in a big theater, they get uncomfortable."

Basically, the pendulum's swung: what was once a selling point in big cinema (all those extra-romantic dramas or thrillers of the '80s and '90s) now makes plenty in the audience want to shrink into their cinema seat. Why get awkward with strangers when you can scroll whatever you like on your phone at home? If a film throws a graphic scene your way in public, it just feels off, or maybe even a bit dated.

• One Night Only is built on the idea of sex as a plot device, but paradoxically, it arrives at a time when audiences seem less and less interested in watching it play out in explicit fashion on the big screen.
• Younger viewers reportedly prefer their intimacy either relatable or not shown at all, turning what used to be a box-office draw into, at best, wallpaper – and at worst, a reason to squirm in your seat.