Family Movies with Traditional Moral Values

Family Movies with Traditional Moral Values Made a Big Hit with Audiences in 2001

A study of the top 10 movies at the domestic box office in 2001 shows that moviegoers last year sought out family-oriented movies with traditional moral values.

A content analysis of the top 10 movies by the Christian Film & Television Commission ministry (CFTVC) reveals not only that the top three movies of the year were rated G or PG, but also that 70 percent of the top 10 had at least some Christian and/or redemptive content in them, but 60 percent of the top 10 actually had a solid moral or Christian worldview in them, based on CFTVC’s traditional view of the Bible.

Furthermore, 90 percent of the top 10 movies had at least some moral, redemptive and/ or Christian content in them. Also, 80 percent of the top 10 movies at the domestic box office had no sex scenes and no sexual immorality in them! Finally, none of the top 10 movies in 2001 had any excessive substance abuse in them.

In contrast to these percentages, of all the 266 theatrical movies reviewed by CFTVC in 2001, only 53 percent had at least some moral and/or biblical content in them, only 37 percent had at least Christian and/or redemptive content in them and 76 percent had at least some sexual content in them.

“These statistics clearly show that it pays to put family-friendly, moral, biblical, and Chris­tian content in movies,” said Dr. Ted Baehr, chairman and founder of CFTVC.

Dr. Baehr presented these figures–and many more–to more than 150 studio executives at CFTVC’s 10th Annual MOVIEGUIDE® Faith & Values Awards Gala and Report to the Entertainment Industry, held recently in Los Angeles.

“Surprisingly, this has been a wonderful year for moral, family movies,” said Dr. Tom Snyder, editor of MOVIEGUIDE®, “despite all the hoopla about such terrible popular mov­ies as American Pie 2, Hannibal and Planet of the Apes.

“Our findings this year, however, are not all that unusual,” Snyder added. “We generally find that, with a few major exceptions, moviegoers here and around the world tend to gravi­tate toward movies that are clean, moral and sometimes even explicitly Christian. This becomes especially clear when you look at the movies which lead the home video charts. For example, in 2000, 90 percent of the top ten home video sales and rentals had moral, redemptive and/or Christian elements playing a major role in the premise and 60 percent were rated G or PG. In 2001, 80 percent of the Top 10 Home Video Sales and Rentals had moral, biblical, redemptive, and/or Christian elements in them. In fact, four of the top five home video sales and rentals in 2001 were award winners at our Annual MOVIEGUIDE® Awards Gala, including this year’s Shrek and Pearl Harbor and 2000’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Remember the Titans.”