Since We Started. . .

February 1st, 2010

When we started MOVIEGUIDE® in 1985, the major studios in Hollywood released few movies with any positive Christian content - less than 1%! By the time we started the Annual MOVIEGUIDE® Faith & Values Awards Gala and Report to the Entertainment Industry in 1992 and 1993, however, there were less than 30 such movies, or about 10.38% of the market share. And, 18 years later, in 2009, 149, or 54.18%, of the movies released by the film industry contained at least some positive Christian content!

Also, when we started in 1985, only about 6% of the major movies were aimed at families; in the past several years, movies marketed to families have increased to 40% or so of the top movies released in your local movie theaters. Furthermore, when we started in 1985, about 80% of the top Hollywood movies were R-rated, but, now, less than 40% are R-rated!

The former chairman of a major studio told me he attributed these positive shifts directly to MOVIEGUIDE®'s influence as well as the Christian Film & Television Commission®'s box office analysis and Annual Report to the Entertainment Industry. Every studio now has a Christian film division, and several studios are doing major movies with strong Christian content. And, other studios besides Disney are doing movies for young children and families.

This does not mean, of course, that the studios are not doing bad movies anymore, but it does mean that there are fewer and fewer bad movies, and an increasing number of good ones. It is our prayer that the movie industry will make more and more commendable movies, and remove all offensive elements from them.

Clearly, however, the work of MOVIEGUIDE® and the Christian Film & Television Commission® ministry, especially our Annual Awards Gala and Report to Hollywood, has helped significantly to redeem the values of the entertainment industry!

Note:

Below are charts showing the increase in the Christian numbers since we began the Annual Faith & Values Awards Gala and Report to the Entertainment Industry:

Also, as the accompanying chart on the number of movies with positive Christian and moral content since 1991 demonstrates, the number of movies with at least some moral content has more than doubled since 1991, an increase of increased 196%, and the number of movies with at least some Christian content has more than quadrupled, an increase of 422% since 1991!

Two other charts calculate the rate of increase over the past five and ten years.

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