Major movie characters are three times more likely to smoke than people in real life.1
The American Lung Association studied the top 50 U.S. movie box office hits for 1997/1998 and found that 88% contained tobacco use, and 38% contained cigars.2
The average PG movie for 1997/1998 showed smoking 18 separate times (an increase over previous years), and the average PG-13 movie showed smoking 13 separate times.2
At least three "Marlboro Men" have died from lung cancer, including Wayne McLaren (1992), Dave McLean (1995), and Edward Hall (1996).3
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 Producers of the James Bond movie License to Kill were forced to include a health warning because the cigarette manufacturer, Philip Morris, paid $350,000 to get cigarettes featured in this movie. Tobacco companies report that they stopped paid "product placements" in 1990.4
T wo-thirds of all major children's animated films include the use of tobacco and alcohol. All seven animated films released in 1996 and 1997 contained tobacco use.5
R.J. Reynolds once hired Fred Flinstone and Barney Rubble to star in an ad for Winston cigarettes.6
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 In the '90s, Marlboro brand exposure in movies was 10 times as high as any other brand of tobacco.2
Tobacco industry documents show that cigarette product placement has been used in the past to dodge adverting bans on television.4 
I worked as a scientist for the nation's third largest tobacco company. A 1999 major motion picture about my story will open the public's eye to the truth behind the tobacco industry's smoke and lies. -
Dr. Jeffrey Wigand,
tobacco industry
whistle-blower
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