By Dr. Ted Baehr
When we started MOVIEGUIDE® in 1985, the major studios in Hollywood released few movies with any positive Christian content or values at all – less than 1% and often only one or two movies!
Incredibly, 39 years later, in 2024, 69.19%, of the major movies released theatrically by the movie industry contained at least some positive Christian, redemptive content.
Also, when we started in 1985, less than 6% of the major movies were aimed at families. In the past 10 years, movies marketed to families have increased to nearly 40% of the top movies released in your local movie theaters.
Here are some other miraculous developments that have encouraged us in our ministry:
- According to an extensive survey, Movieguide® is the world’s most popular family review website among parents.
- In the last three years, the total outreach of Movieguide® TV, Radio and Online, including social media, has increased from 37 million unique visitors, listeners and readers per year to more than 69 million.
The former chairman of one of the top four Hollywood Entertainment Industry studios once told me he attributed all these positive shifts in the movie industry directly to MOVIEGUIDE®’s influence as well as the Christian Film & Television Commission®’s box office analysis in its Annual Report to the Entertainment Industry.
I attribute all of it to God’s grace.
Other industry leaders have said similar things. In fact, many major movie studios now have a Christian, faith-based film division, and several studios are doing major movies with strong and overt Christian or biblical content. Also, now, all the major studios, and most of the major independent studios are doing movies for young children and families.
This doesn’t mean, of course, that the studios aren’t doing bad or horrible movies anymore. However, it does mean there are fewer and fewer bad movies, and an increasing number of good ones. It’s our prayer that the movie industry will make more and more commendable movies and remove all offensive elements from them.
Clearly, thanks be to God’s miraculous grace, the work of MOVIEGUIDE® and the Christian Film & Television Commission® ministry, especially our Annual Faith & Values Awards Gala and Report to Hollywood, has helped significantly to redeem the values of the entertainment industry! We have shown Hollywood that family-friendly movies with little or no foul language, no explicit content and strong Christian, biblical content and values have a huge potential audience and are extremely popular, especially when made well using the artistic and entertainment standards that we have developed and teach in our filmmaking classes, workshops and written/video materials.
Abundance of worthwhile entertainment
Over the past 40 years, MOVIEGUIDE® has developed working relationships with all major studios and other production houses, encouraging them to make positive, uplifting content and with great financial success. Examples of projects we’ve directly impacted have been such financially successful movies as THE PRINCE OF EGYPT, the original GOD’S NOT DEAD, THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST (which used marketing tools that we helped develop), HACKSAW RIDGE, and many more.
Thanks be to God’s Grace alone working through our early efforts, the tide began to shift dramatically in 1999, when 40 movies had strong, positive Christian content. Titles as varied as THE GREEN MILE, THE STRAIGHT STORY, RUNAWAY BRIDE, TOY STORY 2, and THE WINSLOW BOY contained firm nods to Christianity and Christian virtues, often in very explicit ways. Since then, Hollywood has been averaging 40 to 75 movies or more with strong positive Christian, redemptive content each year.
Another watershed year occurred in 2004. That was the year Mel Gibson released THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST, and, with help from other movies like THE INCREDIBLES, SPIDER-MAN 2, LADDER 49, and WOMAN, THOU ART LOOSED, movies with the strongest Christian faith and values set box office records.
In the wake of THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST, most of the major studios, and some of the biggest independent studios in Hollywood, have developed separate divisions making and releasing movies and videos for the Christian and faith audience, such as THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER, UNSUNG HERO, CABRINI, ORDINARY ANGELS, JESUS REVOLUTION, JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM, AFTER DEATH, HIS ONLY SON, SOUND OF FREEDOM, FATHER STU and I STILL BELIEVE.
In the past 12 years, this spiritual trend in movies has exploded onto the small screen as well, with the incredible success of Christian-friendly programs like THE BIBLE on family-friendly cable channels like Hallmark, REELZ, A&E, The History Channel, and UP TV. We have also seen faith-friendly programming on Network and Cable TV. In the last five years, a television series on the life of Jesus Christ, THE CHOSEN, has become one of the most popular streaming programs online and has released three successful theatrical versions of its series.
So, for example, in 2023: SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE gave up everything to save his family and humbly defeat pride. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 rescued children and animals from a power-hungry doctor who was mutating children and animals and thought he was god, but the real loving God was revealed. THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE could be read as a biblical allegory wherein Bowser the devil is trying to court the Princess, and the Mario Bros. rescue the good kingdom. The Nativity Story, JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM, showed the world “God with us” through song and dance. JESUS REVOLUTION showed that everyone is welcome in God’s church, and Jesus Christ gives us a more abundant life. SOUND OF FREEDOM showed that “God’s children are not for sale.”
In 2024, great strong redemptive movies that were some of the biggest box office successes. In INSIDE OUT 2, Joy helps the young hero, Riley, overcome Anxiety so she can ask forgiveness and repent illustrating what the Bible tells us that “the Joy of the Lord is our strength.” DESPICABLE ME 4 has Gru sacrifice everything to save his son including sacrificing his pride so that he apologizes to his enemy for stealing his enemy’s song at the school talent show years before which initiated their enmity. KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES has Christian, biblical references to Moses and has the Hero named Noa rescues his family from a great flood. TWISTERS celebrated “God and country” patriotism. TRANSFORMERS ONE had a death, resurrection and filling with Spiritual power of the hero. WILD ROBOT was pro-life and pro-motherhood, and the hero was a Christ figure. MUFASA: THE LION KING has strong Christological elements in a Pilgrams Progress seeking paradise plotline. UNSUNG HERO shows the importance of a wife and mother’s love and faith
Moviegoers were inspired to support the good, the true and the beautiful at the box office, on streaming and on TV.
Incredibly, in 2024, 69.19%, of the major movies released theatrically by the movie industry contained at least some positive Christian, redemptive content. That’s a percentage increase of 567% since 1991.
Also, when we started in 1985, less than 6% of the major movies were aimed at families. In the past 10 years, movies marketed to families have increased to nearly 40% of the top movies released in your local movie theaters.
Since MOVIEGUIDE®’s Annual Faith & Values Awards Gala and Report to the Entertainment Industry began, the percentage of movies with at least some positive Christian, biblical, and/or morally uplifting content has increased 300%. Many major entertainment industry executives have gotten the message that movies and television/streaming programs with positive Christian, moral, biblical, redemptive content and values are good for business.
Praise God who guided us every step of the way and will guide and help you too.
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