Redemptive SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME Overtakes New Age Avatar on All-Time Domestic Box Office
By Movieguide® Contributor
SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME has reached a new box office milestone: it’s now the third-highest grossing movie of all time at the domestic box office, beating out AVATAR.
NO WAY HOME now totals $760.988 million in the box office, overtaking AVATAR’s $760.5 million. Furthermore, NO WAY HOME reached the monetary achievement in just 60 days compared to AVATAR’s nine months in theaters and a later re-release.
This is just further evidence that movies with more redemptive content will have more success in the box office compared to their gratuitous counterparts.
NO WAY HOME contains very strong moral elements promoting doing the right thing, giving people second chances to turn away from evil, teamwork, friendship, and some redemptive elements promoting sacrifice, and an end credit scene where a man performs the Sign of the Cross
Meanwhile, AVATAR contains an extremely strong, slightly mixed, New Age pagan, politically correct worldview with very strong environmentalist content and strong communalistic group think philosophy; overt New Age Gaia/Goddess worship and tree worship extolling people over the individual and promoting the connectedness of everything in nature; a strong Marxist overtone; and very strong anti-capitalist content where human capitalists are presented as greedy, merciless thugs abusing the creatures and landscape of another planet.
Both movies point toward the importance of media discernment when watching entertainment.
Movieguide® Founder and Publisher Dr. Ted Baehr discussed how to determine the worldview and premise in his book, The Culture-Wise Family.
“When the premise is in agreement with the biblical worldview, but the way that premise is shown is anti-Christian, immoral or evil, then the media product is problematic viewing for Christians committed to their faith,” Baehr writes. “For example if good triumphs over evil, but only by means of a magic, the method by which the premise is solved (magic) is anti-biblical. These movies are suspect for anyone who does not understand that all nominal occult magic is evil. If the magic were a literary device to overcome oppressive forces through the liberating power of mercy and grace, as in THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA and THE LORD OF THE RINGS, then there would be a redemptive aspect to the story that would make the movie more acceptable. The premise can be perfectly biblical, while the solution is not.”
Baehr continues:
Every mass media product reflects a view or opinion about reality and the laws that govern it. HARRY POTTER posits an unpredictable and frightening world with no sure compass to use for navigation. Other media products, such as Sartre’s famous play NO EXIT, take an existentialist perspective that you cannot find answers, so life is essentially meaningless. Many media products have an evolutionary view, which means that there is no divine plan governing creation, nothing is certain and everything is ultimately pointless. Thus, you need to understand the cosmology of a media product to make discerning entertainment choices.
Heretical doctrine can most often be traced to misunderstanding the problem of evil, such as in the case of humanism. The view that man is basically good denies the impact of sin and the need for rebirth. New Age religions see evil as an illusion, eliminating any need to oppose ungodly agendas; or to accept the atonement that Christ provided on the cross. Occultism supposes that evil is as strong as, and not subject to, the authority of a higher good, namely Christ. It is critical for a Christian worldview to present evil as what it is – actually and actively real, the negation of all that is truly good, in personal rebellion against the authority of God. Only by recognition of evil can appropriate remedial actions be taken.
Additional data about an environment is received through the media’s sound-image schema. With a little practice, you can discover recurring themes and underlying principles in the media product. It may be difficult to name the most frequent sound or image, yet once identified, this information unveils any message that might be recited in the mind like an unwanted mantra. Children repeat songs from commercials such as McDonald’s advertisements; ask them to think about what the lyrics mean. Once conscious of these ideas, children will chose whether or not they want to carry them in their hearts and minds. We can help children realize that they can command unwanted images to leave.
Discernment questions address the dynamic interfaces between the readily identified elements and the philosophical and theological messages being communicated that are critical to making personal decisions about what is stored in the memory for future contemplation, or reflection.
As proven by SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME vs. AVATER, when we teach our children to value redemptive storylines, we will see moral tale win in theaters.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
