Moviegoers Favor Conservative Movies, Five-Year Study Shows

MOVIEGUIDE® ^ | April 12, 2004 | MOVIEGUIDE®

[Simi Valley Tom]

A five-year study of the top movies released by Hollywood shows that moviegoers prefer conservative, traditional movies rather than movies that push a left-wing agenda.

“Movies that support capitalist ideals, traditional moral values, and patriotism do much better at the box office than movies promoting socialism, communism, radical feminism, left-wing political correctness, atheism, and homosexuality,” said Dr. Ted Baehr, publisher of MOVIEGUIDE®: A Family Guide to Movies and Entertainment and chairman of the Christian Film & Television Commission™, a Christian advocacy group in Hollywood.

For example, movies released in 2003 with pro-capitalist content, such as SEABISCUIT, earned $60 million per movie, while movies with anti-capitalist content averaged only $11.8 million. Movies in 2003 with very strong moral content averaged $92.5 million, while movies with very strong atheist content averaged only $5.3 million and movies with very strong political correctness from a leftist perspective averaged only $20.1 million.

The study also found that 2003 movies promoting patriotism or American values earned $47.8 million per movies, but movies with anti-patriotic or anti-American content averaged only $38.6.

“These differences also show up in our analysis of movies released from 1999 through 2002,” Dr. Baehr said.

Thus, movies with pro-capitalist content averaged $31.2 million, 73.1 million, $80.5 million, and $45.5 million in 199, 2000, 2001, and 2002, respectively, but anti-capitalist and politically correct movies averaged $5.6, $7.4, $9.9, and $26.5 million and $18.5, $19.1, $40.5, and $18.5 million.

As an added comparison, the study shows that movies with very strong homosexual content only made $1.8 million, $9.2 million, $19.9 million, $3.8 million, and $8.1 million per movie in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003, respectively.

During those same years, movies with very strong moral content averaged $19.3, $33.3, $48.2, $71, and $92.5 million per movie, respectively.

For the full study, please call 1-800-577-6684.

[WinOne4TheGipper]

Besides the Left Behind movies, any movie by Cloud Ten Pictures, The Passion, and the Patriot, I can't think of any movie that can be remotely considered conservative.

[lormand]

I'm doing my part to validate these stats.

...wishing that Hollywood would disappear.

[goldstategop]

All of which goes to make the point Michael Medved has been making for years. There's an audience out there that wants to see good movies and Hollyweird has no idea how to reach them.

[pblanton]

I'm not surprised. I just heard that the leftist, politically correct "The Alamo" is another bomb for Disney. It is satisfying to see the public respond as a whole, pretty much the same way I do.

One thing that is great about America is that you are free to be as big an idiot as you want to be. Just don't expect us to shower you with our hard earned cash after you rake us over the coals.

[ikka]

One movie that I found really underappreciated is "October Sky". Came out a few years ago, now on VHS/DVD. I just saw it recently and recommend it.

[newgeezer]

Take note, Hollywood: The Lord of the Rings trilogy has NO sex (beyond kissing), and NO foul language. By any measure, all 3 were hugely successful at the box office.

[adam_az]

I'm not surprised. I just heard that the leftist, politically correct "The Alamo" is another bomb for Disney. It is satisfying to see the public respond as a whole, pretty much the same way I do.

I think it's because anyone interested enough in Texas history to see The Alamo just can't bring themselves to watch Billy Bob Thornton play DAVY CROCKETT!!! It's just not believable. He's more like Davy Crackpipe.

[LanPB01]

Ghostbusters is the ultimate conservative movie. Three guys who get kicked out of cushy academia and are forced to work in the real world, facing off against a twit from the EPA.

[Southack]

"Besides the Left Behind movies, any movie by Cloud Ten Pictures, The Passion, and the Patriot, I can't think of any movie that can be remotely considered conservative."

You've never seen John Wayne movies?!

How about other movies such as Red Dawn?

Tom Clancy movies?

Heck, even Ronald Reagan made movies!

[TASMANIANRED]

There is a market for conservative family style movies. There needs to be a Murdock to have a revolution to over throw Hollywood. It would take a boatload of money initially for start up costs but the investment would pay off like gangbusters.

Although start up costs would be fairly high, they could be minimized by boycotting the "hollywood faces" that expect exorbatant salaries for the trash they star in. Salaries could be tied to what the films earn.

[dirtbiker]

“Movies that support capitalist ideals, traditional moral values, and patriotism do much better at the box office than movies promoting socialism, communism, radical feminism, left-wing political correctness, atheism, and homosexuality,”

Well, DUH!!!!!!

As far as "October Sky", I too saw it on DVD. My wife is from Jolo, WV, about 20 miles from Coalwood, in McDowell County. Very, very good movie!!

[victoryatallcosts]

That's the funny thing- Disney could have spent $100 million to make a patriotic Alamo movie and, at the very least, broken even and, if it were a good movie, made a load of money.

Yet they choose to blow $100 million on a film that they must have known not to be commercially viable.

The Alamo only made slightly more money this weekend then The Girl Next Door ($9 million versus $6 million), which probably cost about 1/10 of what the Alamo cost to make. And I suspect that those numbers will be closer by the time things are done. I went to see The Girl Next Door last night at 10PM and there was a rather good turn-out, versus almost noone for the Alamo. In the end, I suspect, the Girl Next Door (hardly a hit) will take in more than The Alamo.

In other words, Disney spent several years and a hundred million dollars to make less than they could have by making a silly comedy for a few million.

As a side note, don't let Ebert's reivew of the Girl Next Door scare you away, it's actually a very good movie and, for the most part, its content is rather mild by the standards of teen movies. It isn't going to win any awards, but it's fun.

[adam_az]

Rumor has it that Gibson plans on making more biblical movies.

[kallisti]

i think winone was referencing recent endeavors.

[MattinNJ]

There's a pretty funny story that took place when they were filming LOTR. The actor who plays Gimli is FAR to the right. As any fan of LOTR knows, Viggo Mortensen is a whacked out lib. Anyway, when Mortensen is giving his "Men of the West" speech Gimli leans over to the crew and says-"Does he realize he's playing George Bush"

[Shaun_MD]

I live in East Texas and I can tell you
I'd rather see Tim Conway play Davy Crockett that
Billy Bob Thorton. As least it would be more believable...

[WinOne4TheGipper]

John Wayne? I was thinking more modern. To my knowledge, he hasn't made a movie in 20 years...

[MattinNJ]

Ghostbusters is the ultimate conservative movie. Three guys who get kicked out of cushy academia and are forced to work in the real world, facing off against a twit from the EPA.

Akroyd: "You don't know what it's like in the private sector. I've been out there. They expect results."

[NutCrackerBoy]

Sometimes leftists make great movies, and I will go to see them because I love good cinema. A flaw in a movie that is because of an agenda is just that - a flaw. All that said, everything else being equal, I prefer books and films that provide positive moral nourishment.