Faith-Based Movies: In Hollywood To Stay?

Deadline has a nice overview of the recent faith-movie trend:

After the strong staying power of this weekend’s God’s Not Dead and the stronger than expected opening of Noah following on the heels of the surprise opening of Son of God earlier this year, is there any doubt anymore Hollywood that if you build it, they will come? That’s three for three … but wait, actually there’s more. Back in 2008, the Kirk Cameron-starring Fireproof took a lot of people by surprise. On a $500,000 budget raised by Sherwood Baptist church, the faith-based picture ended up grossing $33.4M when it was released. They did it again in 2011, when on a $2M budget, Courageous opened to $9.1M and went onto make $34.5M. Before that, in 2004, the Mel Gibson-directed The Passion of the Christ opened to $83.8M domestically and went on to gross $611M worldwide.

“I think that is a smart assumption,” Megan Colligan, president of domestic marketing and distribution for Paramount told Deadline. 

The next heavenly story up will be Heaven Is For Real, based on the 2010 book written by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent. The book debuted at No. 3 on the New York Times best-sellers list and then rose to No. 1. Sony purchased rights to the book in 2011 and Randall Wallace (Braveheart) is directing. The movie stars Greg Kinnear (As Good as It Gets). Unaided awareness for the film is pretty low at the moment two weeks out, but with the right marketing campaign, Sony could pull off the fourth faith-based film to open decently.

Affirm Films, which typically gears its features toward evangelical Christians, has the family comedy Moms’ Night Out starring Patricia Heaton, Sean Astin and Trace Adkins opening on May 9, Mother's Day Weekend.  Affirm made $43.9 million stateside with the $18 million-budgeted Soul Surfer in April 2011. On October 3, the Nicolas Cage action film Left Behind about a commercial airline pilot steering his plane in the aftermath of the rapture will be released.  Then on December 12, Fox releases Exodus, which is more along the lines of the big-budget Noah. The Biblical tale in Exodus is that of Moses as played by Christian Bale who leads the Israelites out of Egypt to a safe haven. Will it be epic? It’s a Ridley Scott movie.

So will there be more of these Biblical/faith-based films, and can they be sustainable past their first opening weekends and, more importantly, churn a profit for the filmmakers and distributors? “It’s a good question and I don’t know the answer to that,” said Fox’s Chris Aronson. “As far as sustainability and profitability, it’s hard to say because of the differences in the budgets. There are plenty of examples of faith-based films that have been smartly marketing and targeted to a faith-based audiences that have been successful. It proves that there is an appetite for it, but I think that credibility is an issue as well.” He notes that filmmakers and distribs must be involved in catering toward faith-based audiences. “You can’t pull the wool over the faith-based audiences eyes because they will see it and reject it. And I think (Son of God producers) Mark Burnett and Roma Downey had ultimate credibility because they went directly to the opinion makers in the faith-based community and showed that they had the goods.”

Usually, the way these pictures perform is that they open strong and then fall off. That was the case for Son of God which dropped about 60% in its second weekend, but despite that, this re-edited film from History's The Bible series footage, has grossed $57.9M as of this weekend. 

God’s Not Dead had the third-highest per screen with around $7,714 per screen in its second weekend; third only behind Noah ($12,335) and Budapest Hotel ($9,007). Its per screen average is also above the second weekend of Lionsgate’s franchise in the making Divergent ($6,732). It only fell 1% in its second weekend out. Easter is around the corner. So will it do well through Easter or was this second weekend a fluke? Was it helped by the power of Duck Dynasty (with stars Willie and Korie Robertson) who made an appearance and helped to promote the film?

The lesson to studio heads and marketers is — whether its Noah, God’s Not Dead, Son Of God, Fireproof or Courageous – there is an audience for Biblical films. Perhaps, it takes a thoughtful approach to pull it off. Son of God played well across the country, but Roma and Mark had and took the time to meet with church leaders and listen to them and then incorporate marketing and distribution strategies to open the film to the particular audience.

Tapping into the faith-based audience means speaking directly to these infrequent moviegoers in a way that is credible on a budget that is reasonable. They have proven to be bankable. So, say, a major star anchors one of these — instead of a Kevin Sorbo or Kirk Cameron — and makes a financially-responsible deal for all parties involved, it could prove a new audience for that star and also a nice sum for all profit participants. Also at the same time, these pictures give exhibitors the kind of lower-end budgeted movies that are often more profitable than the Hollywood tentpoles.

These individuals may be infrequent moviegoers for mainstream movies, but they are frequent moviegoers for Biblical and faith-based films. And as Fortune 500 companies have found in developing new products for a new market, there are pitfalls, yes, but if and when you hit it’s a goldmine of loyal customers. And for a star, it could be their biggest openings to date, which was the case for Russell Crowe this weekend in Noah. Combining its marketing to faith-based and to mainstream action audiences, Paramount pulled it off. And Crowe and the studio can thank, in no small part, Emma Watson and her team for her strong social media footprint (and savvy on how to utilize it).

Aronson sums it up nicely: “What this shows is that there is an appetite for these type of movies and that there is a particular segment of the population that is being terribly under-served and if you give them the product they want to see, they will come.”

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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.

Producer Offers Different Perspective on Noah Controversy

There has been much controversy surrounding the upcoming film, Noah.  Phil Cooke, producer and media consultant, wades in with a compelling defense and perspective.

'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.

'Les Miserables' a Model for Christian Films?

The 2012 film version of the famous novel and stage production "Les Miserables" has been surpassing many expectations and is on course to become the highest-grossing musical in North American box-office history. Some analysts are saying its strong Christian values are drawing believers to the theaters in droves.

Filmmaker and media consultant Phil Cooke, who has worked on a number of Christian projects in Hollywood, told The Christian Post: "This is the kind of movie Christians should be supporting, taking their friends to, and then discussing afterwards."

"Les Miserables," originally a French historical novel by Victor Hugo published in 1862 and considered by many to be one of the most significant works of the nineteenth century, explores a number of central Christian themes, such as forgiveness, hope and redemption, and has been adopted into various formats.

The novel was turned into an English-language musical, performed originally at the Barbican Center in London in Oct. 1985, and went on to become one of the most successful stage productions worldwide, being adapted for Broadway in 1987, and revived again in 2006.

While "Les Miserables" has previously played on TV and movie screens, the 2012 effort to bring the musical to the big screen could be considered the most significant one to date, as it features a star-studded cast with actors Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe and Amanda Seyfriend. With an estimated $61 million budget, the movie has grossed over $103 million domestically for a total of $170 million worldwide since its release on Christmas Day.

Besides the star-studded cast, several reviews have noted that the movie's strong Christian themes are what are drawing audiences in.

"'Les Miserables' is booming at the box office, and that financial success can in part be traced to a group of its biggest boosters: Christians, particularly evangelicals whom NBC Universal went after with a microtargeted marketing strategy," a CNN review states. "The story in 'Les Miserables' is heavy with Christian themes of grace, mercy and redemption. The line everyone seems to remember is 'to love another person is to see the face of God,'" it adds.

"If you're a Christian and you're seeing this film, you can't help but see these themes," Jonathan Bock, founder and president of Grace Hill Media, the firm behind the movie's marketing campaign, told CNN.

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Will Russell Crowe Portray Noah as an Environmentalist Nut?

It's billed as a "Biblical epic" but a Christian screenwriter in Hollywood who has had a chance to read the script for "Noah" says there's a good chance that the movie, which is still in production, will be far from the truth of the Gospel.

"If you were expecting a Biblically faithful retelling of the story of the greatest mariner in history and a tale of redemption and obedience to God you'll be sorely disappointed," Brian Godawa recently wrote in his analysis of an undated script he was able to get his hands on as a movie industry insider.

Godawa told The Christian Post that he is not 100 percent sure that the copy of the script written by Darren Aronofsky and Ari Handel that he read has since been changed to reflect a more accurate portrayal of what's written in the Bible, but chances aren't good that is the case.

In fact, he fears the movie's Noah (played by Russell Crowe) will be depicted more like an "environmentalist wacko."

"Noah paints the primeval world of Genesis 6 as scorched arid desert, dry cracked earth, and a gray gloomy sky that gives no rain – and all this, caused by man's 'disrespect' for the environment," Godawa wrote in his analysis. "In short, 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."

Apparently, Noah and his family also seek to "avoid the crowds and live off the land." He is this "kind of rural shaman, and vegan hippy-like gatherer of herbs, according to Godawa's analysis of the script. "Noah explains that his family 'studies the world,' 'healing it as best we can,' like a kind of environmentalist scientist," he writes.

"They want to tell the story about the Bible that they think everyone wants to see. They are interpreting it through their own worldview. It's not necessarily a malicious thing," he continued. "I don't expect Aronofsky to be true to this biblical message because he probably doesn't really believe it. He's just going to use it to communicate his own [message]. He's already told us that when he said this is all about environmentalism."

In addition to not really embracing Aronofsky's creative license with the Bible in regards to the environment, Godawa notes that there's a problem with his interpretation morally.

"I have to say that the movie script for Noah is deeply anti-Biblical in its moral vision," he stated. "While the Bible commands mankind to 'work and keep' the garden of earth as its stewards, the sin that brought about the judgment of the Flood was NOT violence against the environment as depicted in the script, it was violence against God and his image in man. That's no minor difference."

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