It has been labelled ‘Fifty Shades of Tame’ by many British commentators, but the Fifty Shades of Grey trailer has provoked an angry attack from conservative groups in the US.

Moral watchdogs have issued statements calling on people to take action against the “sexually violent” film, following the release of the first Fifty Shades of Grey trailer yesterday.

Morality in Media said the film helped to promote a “rape and sexual violence culture [that] is now permeating our society”.

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In a statement on its Porn Harms Action Centre website, it said: “The Fifty Shades of Gray [sic] series promotes torture as sexually gratifying and normalizes domestic violence, particularly violence against women.

“With the popularity of this book, mainstream opinion-makers (like Oprah, the Today Show and Broadway) are telling the public (especially youth) that humiliation, degredation [sic] and torture in sex is normal and to just give it a try.”

Dawn Hawkins, the organisation’s executive director, added: “Do we really want our sons to become Christian Greys, practicing a violent masculinity that degrades men as well?”

The Parents Television Council (PTC) has also criticised the film as well as NBC’s Today show for airing an edited down clip of the trailer on TV at 8am.

“Here's a book and a movie that are really normalizing and even romanticizing BDSM relationships, and I think that that's very troubling, especially the way that this romance is presented in the trailer, ” PTC’s Melissa Henson told The Hollywood Reporter.

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Fifty Shades of Grey film stills 1/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan as Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey during a Fifty Shades sex scene Chuck Zlotnick 2/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan kiss in a lift as Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey's love affair takes off Chuck Zlotnick 3/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey outside Grey Enterprises in Fifty Shades of Grey Chuck Zlotnick 4/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Anastasia Steele with Christian Grey in his offices in Fifty Shades of Grey Chuck Zlotnick 5/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson as Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele in her hardware shop 6/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Fifty Shades of Grey has just under 20 minutes of sex scenes Chuck Zlotnick 7/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) with her mother Carla (Jennifer Ehle) in Fifty Shades of Grey Chuck Zlotnick 8/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Sam Taylor-Johnson, Jamie Dornan and Dakota discuss the filming of Fifty Shades of Grey on set Universal 9/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden stars as Dr Grace Trevelyan Grey in Fifty Shades of Grey Chuck Zlotnick 10/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Anastasia Steele's best friend Kate, played by Eloise Mumford, in Fifty Shades of Grey Chuck Zlotnick 11/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Dakota Johnson lets out a brief moan in Christian Grey's bed Universal 12/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Christian cradles Ana Universal 13/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Dakota Johnson holds a pencil seductively as Anastasia Steele Universal 14/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Ana Steele and Christian Grey have an 'interesting' relationship 15/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Mr Grey will see you now: Christian Grey introduces Anastasia Steele into the world of S&M Universal 16/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson as Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele in a hardware store 17/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Jamie Dornan stars as protagonist Christian Grey Universal 18/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Dakota Johnson stars as Anastasia Steele Universal 19/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Christian Grey surprises Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades of Grey 20/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson pictures together as Christian and Anastasia Universal 21/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Dakota Johnson stars as innocent student Anastasia Steelee Universal 22/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Rita Ora plays Christian Grey's sister Mia Universal 23/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Jamie Dornan as playboy billionaire Christian Grey 24/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Jamie Dornan stars as Christian Grey Universal 1/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan as Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey during a Fifty Shades sex scene Chuck Zlotnick 2/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan kiss in a lift as Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey's love affair takes off Chuck Zlotnick 3/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey outside Grey Enterprises in Fifty Shades of Grey Chuck Zlotnick 4/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Anastasia Steele with Christian Grey in his offices in Fifty Shades of Grey Chuck Zlotnick 5/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson as Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele in her hardware shop 6/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Fifty Shades of Grey has just under 20 minutes of sex scenes Chuck Zlotnick 7/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) with her mother Carla (Jennifer Ehle) in Fifty Shades of Grey Chuck Zlotnick 8/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Sam Taylor-Johnson, Jamie Dornan and Dakota discuss the filming of Fifty Shades of Grey on set Universal 9/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden stars as Dr Grace Trevelyan Grey in Fifty Shades of Grey Chuck Zlotnick 10/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Anastasia Steele's best friend Kate, played by Eloise Mumford, in Fifty Shades of Grey Chuck Zlotnick 11/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Dakota Johnson lets out a brief moan in Christian Grey's bed Universal 12/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Christian cradles Ana Universal 13/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Dakota Johnson holds a pencil seductively as Anastasia Steele Universal 14/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Ana Steele and Christian Grey have an 'interesting' relationship 15/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Mr Grey will see you now: Christian Grey introduces Anastasia Steele into the world of S&M Universal 16/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson as Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele in a hardware store 17/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Jamie Dornan stars as protagonist Christian Grey Universal 18/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Dakota Johnson stars as Anastasia Steele Universal 19/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Christian Grey surprises Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades of Grey 20/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson pictures together as Christian and Anastasia Universal 21/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Dakota Johnson stars as innocent student Anastasia Steelee Universal 22/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Rita Ora plays Christian Grey's sister Mia Universal 23/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Jamie Dornan as playboy billionaire Christian Grey 24/24 Fifty Shades of Grey film stills Jamie Dornan stars as Christian Grey Universal

The PTC said the shortened version of the trailer should not have been broadcast despite the omission of ‘raunchier’ scenes.

“It seems like a very ordinary … romance story, so the fact that they cut off the last few seconds, if anything, might be a little suggestive, a little misleading because you don't truly understand what this movie is about unless you've read the articles or read the book.

“That's definitely going to be appealing and probably going to pique [a teenage girl's] interest and be something that she wants to see — and for parents that don't know what the book is about or what the movie is about, they may easily consent to letting their teenage daughter see this film. ”