3 Faith-Related Films in the Top 15 At the Box Office

Paramount's prayers were answered this weekend, as Darren Aronofsky's controversial Biblical epic Noah opened in first place with a mighty $44 million.

Noah's $44 million debut ranks fourth so far this year behind 300: Rise of An Empire ($45 million). It's a significant improvement over star Russell Crowe's Robin Hood—in fact, it's the highest debut ever for Crowe in leading role. Noah has also already earned more than director Aronofsky's first four movies combined.

Months ago, word began circulating that Noah deviated significantly from the Old Testament story upon which it's based. This raised the question of whether or not Christian audiences would show up to see a "Hollywood" version of one of the most well-known stories ever.

One doesn't have to be a regular churchgoer to be aware of and have some interest in the story of Noah, though, and the action and disaster elements of the movie also helped broaden its appeal. The controversy probably didn't hurt, either: controversy creates conversation, which in turn raises awareness.

Noah's audience was split evenly between men and women, and skewed older (74 percent above 25 years of age). IMAX accounted for $6.2 million (14 percent), which suggests that moviegoers were interested in seeing this epic tale on the biggest screen possible.

Noah received a "C" CinemaScore, which is probably a result of Paramount keeping the stranger fantasy elements out of the marketing campaign. This doesn't necessarily mean the movie is going to fall off quickly: The Wolf of Wall Street is a recent example of a controversial movie that bombed with CinemaScore but held well. At this point, it's safe to say that Noah will earn at least $110 million total.

Faith-based movie God's Not Dead despite being in many fewer theaters than other top 10 movies held even with an estimated $9.1 million. Through 10 days, the surprise hit has earned $22 million.

Overseas business has been red hot for Noah and this weekend saw an estimated $33.6M taken in from 22 markets boosting the early cume to $51.1M and the worldwide tally to $95.1M. Russia was the stand-out generating the biggest opening weekend in history in that country for a non-sequel with a stunning $17.2M. More major markets open this coming week including Germany, Brazil, Spain, and the U.K. The worldwide gross will certainly surpass $300M and may even reach beyond $400M with some key European markets opening closer to Easter.

Son of God was at #15 earning another $1,070,000 and is now just shy of $58 million.

Flood of Controversy Around Noah Continues to Rise

It is truly a Hollywood epic of biblical proportions, the original disaster story of the man chosen by God to undertake the greatest rescue in history before an apocalyptic flood engulfs the world.

But even before it opens in America this week, Noah, a $130 million blockbuster with Russell Crowe in the lead role, is already awash in a turbulent sea of controversy.

Noah's director Darren Aronofsky, a self-described atheist who made the Oscar-nominated hit The Black Swan, has described the movie as is "the least biblical biblical film ever made" and called Noah "the first environmentalist". According to one early review, the name "God" is not actually spoken at any stage.

Now, amid a wave of criticism from some Christian groups about its loose interpretation of a sacred script, the Paramount studio has taken the unusual step of issuing an "explanatory message" to accompany marketing material.

It notes that while the film is "inspired by the story of Noah... artistic licence has been taken". And it adds, for anyone unclear about the source material: "The biblical story of Noah can be found in the book of Genesis." It has also highlighted praise for the film by some Christian leaders.

After advance test screenings, there were complaints that the film did not adhere strictly enough to the Old Testament verses and portrays Noah as an environmental crusader to deliver a secular ecological doomsday message.

"The insertion of the extremist environmental agenda is a problem," said Jerry Johnson, president of the National Religious Broadcasters group.

Aronofsky's version of Noah is described as a "dark parable about sin, justice and mercy" in which Noah must decide who is good enough to make it on the boat that will save humanity. But Paramount has now issued its note of "explanation" for viewers.

"While artistic license has been taken, we believe that this film is true to the essence, values, and integrity of a story that is a cornerstone of faith for millions of people worldwide," it states.

Crowe has also addressed the criticisms, saying that the film was not intended to be a "Sunday school story" and would challenge viewers' understanding of the Bible.

Brian Godawa, a Hollywood screenwriter and commentator on Christian issues, was one of the first to raise religious alarms after seeing an early version of the script.

In an article titled Darren Aronofsky's Noah: Environmentalist Wacko, he said the director transformed a scriptural story into "environmental paganism" by blaming the Great Flood on man's "disrespect" for the environment.

"Noah is a very short section of the Bible with a lot of gaps, so we definitely had to take some creative expression in it," producer Scott Franklin told Entertainment Weekly. "But I think we stayed very true to the story and didn't really deviate from the Bible, despite the six-armed angels."

In a effort to stymie the criticism, Paramount has just released a new eight-minute promotional video called Noah Featurette running praise from Christian leaders for the film.

"Movies aren't meant to preach. Movie's aren't sermons, and so if they can bring up the topic and start conversations, that's a good movie," said Karen Covell, founder of the Hollywood Prayer Network. "And this one made me ask questions."

Phil Cooke, a Christian media producer and consultant, who has advised the studio on the film, said: "Christians have to stop looking at Hollywood as the enemy, and start reaching out. Missionaries have discovered that you don't change minds by criticism, boycotts or threats. You change minds by developing a relationship and a sense of trust."

Conversations between the studio and the National Religious Broadcasters, whose mission includes advancing biblical truth, won a kinder, gentler reproof. “Because of the quality of the production and acting,” said Johnson, “viewers will enjoy watching main themes from the Noah story depicted in a powerful way on the big screen. However, my intent in reaching out to Paramount with this request was to make sure everyone who sees this impactful film knows this is an imaginative interpretation of Scripture, and not literal.”

Washington Times article

Telegraph article

Watch the 'Noah' Ark Come to Life in New Behind-the-Scenes Video

The creators of the upcoming "Noah" biblical epic starring Russell Crowe have released a video featuring an inside look at how they brought to life what is undeniably the movie's centerpiece — the massive ark that the Old Testament narrative says was built by Noah and his family to protect them and "all living creatures" from a worldwide flood.

"There was a huge issue of what is this ark gonna look like," says Director and co-writer Darren Aronofsky in the video. "The idea was let's go back to what God tells Noah in the Bible."

Aronofsky adds, "It basically describes a box. It doesn't talk about a bow. It doesn't have to navigate. It wasn't like Noah was trying to take the ship anywhere. It basically has to survive the flood."

The director revealed that the ark used on set was built to the actual scope of what is described by God in the Bible to Noah.

According to production designer Mark Friedberg, it took his team more than a year to develop a blueprint for the ark, and it took them only six months to build the massive structure.

Tough Sailing for Noah with Christian Audiences?

Noah, starring Russell Crowe, has entered troubled waters.  Director Darren Aronofsky, coming off a career-defining success in Black Swan ($330 million global, five Oscar nominations), has sometimes been at odds with Paramount,a studio working to protect a major investment that is intended to appeal to believers of every religion as well as those without any faith.

The trouble began when Paramount, nervous about how audiences would respond to Aronofsky's fantastical world and his deeply conflicted Noah, insisted on conducting test screenings over the director's vehement objections while the film was a work in progress.

Friction grew when a segment of the recruited Christian viewers, among whom the studio had hoped to find Noah's most enthusiastic fans, questioned the film's adherence to the Bible story and reacted negatively to the intensity and darkness of the lead character. Aronofsky's Noah gets drunk, for example, and considers taking drastic measures to eradicate mankind from the planet. Hoping to woo the faith-based crowd, Paramount made and tested as many as half-a-dozen of its own cuts of the movie. "I was upset -- of course," Aronofsky tells The Hollywood Reporter in his first extensive interview about the film's backstory. "No one's ever done that to me."

The director, who grew up Jewish, developed the story with fellow Jew, Ari Handel. The team lent their own imagination to the film, dreaming "up a world that included fallen angels with multiple arms and inventive, computer-rendered versions of animals."

Despite the initial screening reactions, Paramount Vice Chair Rob Moore, who is a "devout Christian," said that the studio anticipates "that the vast majority of the Christian community will embrace [Noah]."

"[The movie contains the] key themes of the Noah story in Genesis - of faith and hope and God's promise to mankind," said Moore.

Part of where Aronofsky's own interpretation came in, Moore says, is because the Genesis account has few details about who Noah was.

"From a storytelling perspective, the main points are that Noah is a man of faith who is picked by God, told to build an ark, builds the ark and survives," said Moore.

Moore defended the director's complex depiction of Noah.

"Most people do not remember or were never taught the fact that after Noah's off the ark, there is a moment in the story where he is drunk," he added.

The Hollywood executive also pointed out that viewers should be aware that Aronofsky's artistic style makes "Noah" a different film than a series, such as the one created by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey in "The Bible."

"They've been very effective in terms of communicating to and being embraced by a Christian audience," Moore told THR. "This movie has a lot more creativity to it. And therefore, if you want to put it on the spectrum, it probably is more accurate to say this movie is inspired by the story of Noah."

Aronofsky said that he has sought to balance the film's divergent audiences.

"[I wanted to create] this fantastical world a la Middle-earth that they wouldn't expect from their grandmother's Bible school," said Aronofsky, who is also known for such films as "The Wrestler," "Requiem for a Dream" and "The Fountain."

But Aronofsky said it was also important that he make a film for an audience "who take this very, very seriously as gospel."

Despite his religious upbringing, a 2006 interview suggests that Aronofsky no longer completely identifies with his faith.

"The Big Bang happened, and all this star matter turned into stars, and stars turned into planets, and planets turned into life. We're all just borrowing this matter and energy for a little bit, while we're here, until it goes back into everything else, and that connects us all," Aronofsky said, after being asked about his beliefs in God.

"The messed up thing is how distracted we are and disconnected from that connection, and the result of it is what we're doing to this planet and to ourselves…What are we doing to ourselves? It's a complete disconnect. To me, that's where the spirituality is. Whatever you want to call that connection -- some people would use that term God. That, to me, is what I think is holy," he added.

'Noah' Previewed at Christian Conference by Director Darren Aronofsky

While attending the Echo Conference in Dallas, Texas last week, Director Darren Aronofsky previewed a sneak-peak video of his new biblical epic, "Noah," starring Russell Crowe and Emma Watson, which is set to be released in theaters in March 2014.

Before previewing the film, Aronofsky told the audience of Christian filmmakers and artists that he was first inspired to make a film about the biblical character of Noah in seventh grade, when he won an award for writing a poem about the scriptural hero, which he ultimately read in front of the United Nations.

Aronofsky said his experience with that poem "gave me the courage and spirit to be a writer. So Noah's very much been a patron saint in my life leading me toward my creative endeavors."

"I'm also excited that Hollywood has finally agreed to make the first biblical epic in almost 50 years," the director continued, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

"It's been a long time since Bible movies were on the screen, and there's been a lot of advancements in technology and special effects, and maybe that's the reason why Noah's never been attempted on the big screen before, because of the size and scale of the deluge and all the different animals […] But now, finally, with Hollywood's help, we can actually do this and bring it to life," Aronofsky added.

The film will include Australian actor Russell Crowe playing the role of Noah, who in the Bible's Old Testament obeys God's command to construct an ark, and ultimately to save the remnants of life on earth.

Additionally, Emma Watson will star in the film as Ila, actor Logan Lerman will star as Ham, Jennifer Conelly will star as Naameh, and Anthony Hopkins will star as Methuselah.

Some critics are drawing a comparison between Aronofsky's "Noah," produced by Paramount Pictures, with the 2004 "The Passion of the Christ," a film directed by Mel Gibson. The film received several accolades and grossed $600 million during its theatrical release.

The success of a well-made biblical epic cannot be understated; Mark Burnett's "The Bible" miniseries broke cable television records when it premiered on The History Channel earlier this year, with its premiere episode drawing in 13.1 million viewers.

However, some, including film critic Brian Godawa, have remained skeptical of the upcoming "Noah" film, arguing that it seeks to serve more as an "enviro-disaster" film rather than an accurate retelling of biblical events. Godawa writes in a recent review that the film seeks to communicate an environmentalistic agenda that God is upset with man for his mistreatment of the earth.

Godawa argues that the film gives viewers "an anachronistic doomsday scenario of ancient global warming. How Neolithic man was able to cause such anthropogenic catastrophic climate change without the 'evil' carbon emissions of modern industrial revolution is not explained."

Aronofsky has previously directed such box office hits as "The Wrestler," "The Fighter," and "Black Swan." His most recent work "Noah" is currently being filmed in Iceland and is scheduled for release in theaters on March 28, 2014.

The Echo conference, which took place last week in Dallas, is described as a "church conference for artists, geeks, and storytellers" seeking to explore creativity within the church, according to the conference's website.