I read several statistics that I have combined in charts. The numbers were all captured for 2012 by prominent organizations including Movieguide, the Motion Picture Association of America, Crown Ministries, Fox News and several less known organizations.

Due to the disparity of the groups and the reasons behind each survey or statistical analysis, you might consider taking this article with a grain of salt, but it does ring true for me based on what I’ve seen within both the faith-based and general film industry.

The studies were conducted to determine the amount of influence different types of organizations and films make on society. This is nothing new, as the impact of film on society has been studied since the early 1960s. The impact of movies on people’s purchases has been studying since the 1950s. There may have been other studies done earlier, since the motion picture industry dates back to the early 1900s, but there is little documentation available that addresses how stories influence society.

When I’ve interviewed independent filmmakers, the number one reason faith-based producers make movies is to influence the culture, but they only influence like-minded people according to the latest statistics. Most general filmmakers influence both people of faith and the secular public without the intention of influencing society. However, the general filmmakers that produced with the specific intent on influencing society find their films getting minimal distribution.

Patriotic films generate more gross revenue than any other film genre in the history of the American film industry. The second largest grossing films include a redemptive story and make four times more revenue than general films, while a faith-based film draws 10 times less audience than a general film.

This suggests that producers who want to influence society need to make a film for the general viewing audience with a redemptive or patriotic storyline. Most patriotic films include scenes dealing with self-sacrifice for the sake of others and respectfully represent God and country. Most redemptive films include scenes dealing with sacrificial love and the redemption of common man.

I was surprised to learn that pastors have one-tenth the amount of influence that movies have over their congregations. And, it’s even more surprising that the number of unbelievers they influence is dramatically less. These statistics suggest those with conservative Judeo-Christian worldviews need to start making more films for the general audience – Influencing them along the topics of self-sacrifice, patriotism, good work ethics, and treating others with respect.

This morning I read the headline “Surprisingly Entertaining” and I couldn’t figure out if it was a cut or a pat on the back for the filmmaker. After giving some thought to it, I realized it was both.

The headline introduced an article about the latest Christian film Alone Yet Not Alone, which received an original song nomination that was rescinded in a bath of controversy. The headline was a positive stroke for the filmmaker who made the movie entertaining. The negative side of the comment was a statement about the lack of entertainment value in Christian films.

I’ve written a lot about the Christian film industry this year, as it has emerged into the limelight. The most fascinating elements of its adolescence include arguments on what makes a film Christian, fans supporting films based on message instead of quality and entertainment value, and the lack of hours the cast and crew typically put into honing their craft to achieve mastership of their skills.

The unique combination of these issues has settled the argument in Hollywood and among industry leaders who have labeled Christian films as a genre. Even the top theatrical revenue reporting organizations have referenced the same label. Yet, many Christian filmmakers continue to argue that Christian films are not a genre unto themselves, as their films can fit any genre.

However, no matter what the Christian producers try to clarify, there isn’t a large Christian film association that can dictate anything differently than what the masses and industry has deemed to be the case. Nor can anyone suggest things are different from the massive number of Christian films that all fit into the same category.

The bottom line is that very few Christian films are entertaining and it’s therefore a surprise when one picture entertains – thus the headline.

The foregone conclusion is that audiences want entertainment value. Christian producers on the other hand want to preach a message or need to preach in order to fulfill the demands of their investors. I believe that need to fulfill certain religious requirements comes from leaders who have preached for years the “sins” of entertainment and therefore need to justify their entrance into the media with overt religious content in order to distinguish it from “sinful” entertainment.

But entertainment is neutral. It was never a sin. Certainly there is wholesome entertainment and there is secular entertainment, but neither in of itself is sin. It’s man’s reaction or choices that brings about sins or blessings. The media is neutral and can be used to bring a single message into the mind of the audience, regardless of what that message is.

I’ve worked on hundreds of television episodes for several networks and shot seven films in my career. But none of my moral and wholesome shows were ever labeled “Christian”, so I can’t relate to those who set out to make Christian films — Although three of my pictures were released to the “Christian” marketplace.

However, I can relate to audiences, as I’ve watched films from all genres and I have concluded that the number one goal of all filmmakers that want to touch millions of lives is to entertain them. And, if they can make a single life altering point within the context of their film they’ll receive a significant response from gratified viewers.

In other words, the less entertainment values in a film, the smaller the viewing audience, and, the more universal the story the greater the audience. This simple formula dictates which Christian films get large distribution and those that release direct to video for showings in churches. It all comes down to the film’s level of entertainment.