‘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

Eli Thomas Launches 'VerifiedCollab' Verification Platform

Performer Eli Thomas has launched VerifiedCollab, a verification platform for creators and producers.

House Committee to Weigh Online Safety Bill With Federal AV Requirement

The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce will meet Thursday to consider and potentially amend the Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) Act, which includes provisions to make age verification by adult websites federal law.

SWR Data Publishes 'Creator Income' Report

Adult industry market research firm SWR Data has published a report on creator incomes.

Pineapple Support to Host 'Neurodivergent Performers' Support Group

Pineapple Support is hosting a free online support group for neurodivergent performers.

'Legal Impact' Webinar Unpacks North Carolina's New Consent Law

Industry attorney Corey D. Silverstein on Thursday held a webinar focused on North Carolina’s HB 805, a new law that has significantly altered performer consent requirements in the state.

FSC Launches Privacy-First Age Verification Solution for Members

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) announced today that it has granted members exclusive access to the PrivateAV age verification solution.

Brazil: New AV Requirements Set to Take Effect March 17

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva this week gave final approval to new regulations requiring adult websites to age-verify users located in Brazil starting March 17.

FSC Recommends Platforms Integrate StopNCII.org Tool

In a blog post, Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has recommended that platforms integrate the StopNCII.org tool to prevent the sharing of non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII).

Utah 'Porn Tax' Bill With VPN Provisions Passes State Senate

The Utah state Senate has passed a bill that would impose a 2% tax on the revenues of adult websites doing business in that state, and make sites liable if Utah minors use VPNs to circumvent geolocation.

Show More