Enchanted proves family films sell

Despite Hollywood’s obsession with adult-rated fare, family films still sell, a lesson Disney’s Enchanted proved again this weekend, extending the film’s reign at the top of the holiday box office season to two weeks in a row.

Box office was down this weekend, though, as it only took Enchanted $17 million to take the top spot over the weekend, though its take to date is over $70 million. The live action musical comedy is a bit of an anachronism in an era when most musicals either take place on stage or via animation. However, animation is clearly changing, too, as the adult-themed Beowulf has been a box office flop in the US, largely due to its adult-rated content; the film is said to be a hit in Europe, however.

No matter how much market research film companies do, it seems they’ll never learn that making a film the entire family can watch together always reaps the most rewards.