Redeeming the Time: Paramount’s 1923 Has Most Successful Premiere in Network’s History
By Allen Rushing, Movieguide® Contributor
Paramount’s YELLOWSTONE prequel series, 1923, exploded onto the cinematic scene this past weekend and set a record for viewership in its debut.
The series attracted nearly 7-and-a-half million, “marking Paramount+’s biggest debut ever.”
There may be, and probably are, multiple reasons for this turnout: the growing success of predecessor sequel YELLOWSTONE, the fact that the 1923 cast includes legendary performers Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, etc. However, another less apparent factor may be that the series premiere episode opens with far less offensive sexual content and foul language compared to YELLOWSTONE’s premiere episode from 2018.
It is now “a truth universally acknowledged” (Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Vol. I, chapter 1, p. 1) that films and series with less objectionable material, and specifically less sexual content, do far better at the box office than those which throw sexuality and overtly sexual scenes at their viewers.
As Movieguide® founder, Dr. Ted Baehr, writes:
In 1995, there were 36 movies produced that had excessive sexual content. These films earned on average less than $1 million at the box office. By 2018 the number made dropped to 15. Only six of these were made by the major studios. Movies with excessive sex averaged one-fifth the box office of movies with no sex whatsoever. Also, movies with no homosexual content totaled $7.9 billion at the domestic box office, while movies with strong homosexual content totaled only $0.6 billion. In part as the result of Movieguide®’s Annual Report to the Entertainment Industry the major studios are learning sex does not sell as well in theaters as was once so strongly believed.
If Paramount wants to continue to succeed in their scripted series, they need to continue to produce series debuts like 1923, that contains a biblical approach to cinematic storytelling.
When the Apostle Paul exhorts the Ephesians to be “redeeming the time” (Ephesians 5:16), he does so to remind them to take care how they walk (Eph. 5:15), that is, live, in order to reject and turn from the many evils “in which [they] once walked” (Eph. 2:1). In much the same way, it is to be hoped that the creative team behind 1923 will pursue a storytelling path which turns away from morally offensive and unnecessary content, and thus, that Paramount’s prequel will be better and more watchable for Christian families than its predecessor sequel.
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.
