Posted: 08/16/06

Hollywood's Age of Enlightenment

By Dr. Ted Baehr

Hollywood has always been a bit out of touch with mainstream or what we now refer to as "Redstate" America. Recent moves by studio executives, however, seem to indicate they are finally taking a close look at the landscape.

In recent years, Hollywood has persistently championed through awards and publicity, the films with the most explicit and lewd themes, those that most Americans would be embarrassed to watch with their mother. Yet, for all the hype, box office receipts have declined a consistent seven percent over the last three years. Hollywood executives have seemed confounded to understand why Americans are no longer turning out for movies in the same force as they used to.

That is until last week when Walt Disney Company's new president of production, Oren Aviv, announced, in a major company-restructuring plan, that Disney plans to cut the production of R-rated movies and change its focus toward more family oriented films, a policy change that reflects the desires of many of our friends at Disney at the highest levels.

Other studios have started to explore the faith and values market, such as Fox with Fox Faith, which released "End of the Spear," and Sony with Sony Provident-Integrity, which released "The Gospel" and "The Second Chance". And, this coming week, on Aug. 9, Paramount will release "World Trade Center," starring Nicolas Cage, a patriotic movie full of positive faith and values directed by Oliver Stone.

Why is this happening? Our research indicates, as reflected in our Annual Report to the Entertainment Industry, which we distribute to all the major movie studios, that films containing morally uplifting, redemptive, and even Christian content earn at least three to seven times more money on average than movies with explicit, potentially offensive elements.

Of the top 25 box office earners of 1999, 2000, and 2001, 62 percent contained morally uplifting or Christian content. In 2002 and 2003, that number rose to 80 percent. In 2004 and 2005, in the wake of such movies as "The Passion of the Christ," "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe," "Finding Nemo," and "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, 96 percent of the top 25 movies were morally uplifting.

Meanwhile, the popularity of R-rated films has steadily declined. In 1997, there were 12 R-rated films in the top 25 box office earners. This number fell to three in 2005. In addition, the number of movies in the top 25 containing strong moral or Christian elements has increased from only three in 1996 to 10 in 2005.

The low box office numbers in recent years would seem to show that Americans are not interested in the films full of violent, sexual and anti-American content. Maybe because 47% of Americans attend church weekly, and up to 92% say they are Christians. Even non-Christian moviegoers respond favorably to inspiring and redemptive stories with morally outstanding heroes and heroines. And, this family-friendly demographic is flexing its influence in more than just box office receipts.

Recently, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) announced that a movie called "Facing the Giants" would receive a PG rating because of the movie's evangelistic Christian elements. The scene that caught the MPAA's attention was an exchange between a coach and a player. The coach assures the player that following Jesus Christ is a decision everyone makes for himself, but, if he accepts Christ, it will change his life.

A controversy ensued. Elected officials, Christian groups, and conservative talk show hosts rallied together. As a result, Christians across the country swamped the MPAA with more than 15,000 emails and strong criticism from Members of Congress and the press, for its apparent religious bigotry.

The result was a resounding success. The chairman of the MPAA's ratings board, Joan Graves, announced the MPAA would no longer consider statements of faith or religious content as a "thematic element" that could trigger a rating of PG or higher.

Disney's recent move to abandon R-rated movies also illustrates what other studios are likewise beginning to understand – that movies containing explicit material earn much less money than family-friendly movies with morally uplifting, redemptive content reflecting Judeo-Christian values.

Since the bottom line is the main concern of studio executives and their financiers on Wall Street and overseas, Hollywood's decision makers can no longer choose to ignore these facts. They simply cannot afford it.

By Ted Baehr Click here for bio and archived articles