Family fare movies sell.

Hollywood--While media elites manipulate awards, the box office tells another story. An analysis of box-office receipts for 250 films released in the United States last year shows that audiences clearly prefer films that defend moral values. (Washington Times, March 25, 2004).

A report prepared by the Christian Film & Television Commission (CFTVC) found that films emphasizing "strong moral content" made an average $92.5 million--six times the revenue of those with an "immoral, negative content." Ted Baehr, chairman of the California-based CFTVC, said: "Movies rated G and PG consistently earn two or three times as much money on average as movies rated R."

It seems that family films have now found a major financial backer. Philip Anschutz, cofounder of Qwest Communications International Inc., made a $5 billion fortune in oil, railroads and telecommunications. In the last few years, he has financed about a dozen projects in Hollywood, all designed to be family-friendly, according to an April 22 report in the Wall Street Journal.

Anschutz has committed more than $300 million to film projects already, and he shows no signs of stopping, the Journal said. So far his films have met with mixed success, but he has hopes for a partnership with Disney to develop C.S. Lewis's Narnia books into a series of movies.

A recent initiative to promote wholesome programs for television is the Family Friendly Programming Forum. The group was established with money from a number of major companies that felt frustrated by the lack of G-rated programs in which to show their commercials, the Washington Times reported June 28. The forum has given seed money to help develop seven TV programs for this fall's viewing.