Red band trailers

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The warning screen shown before a red band trailer.

A red band trailer's content is intended for a more mature audience, usually equivalent to an R-rated film. The moniker for such trailers is derived from the image of a red "band" that appears across the screen before the full content, displaying a warning message. Red band trailers might contain more violence, drug usage, mild nudity or harsher language. Unlike standard film trailers, which have a green background and are approved for all audiences, a red band trailer has a red background, along with the warning that "The following preview has been approved for restricted audiences only".

Until nearly a decade ago, red band (or restricted) trailers would often appear before R-rated films. However, in 2000, a Federal Trade Commission report criticized the entertainment industry for marketing violent entertainment to children. Following the report, many production companies instituted a full ban of red band trailers. American Pie (1999) was the last red band trailer that Universal Studios ran in theaters.

Most recently, Columbia Pictures' Pineapple Express (2008) had a red-band trailer, and was shown in theaters before the film Forgetting Sarah Marshall.