Can Beyond the Mask Uncover the Secret of God's Not Dead?

After a successful campaign in theaters across the U.S., producers have just pacted with Freestyle Releasing to distribute Beyond The Mask on June 5 for traditional, weeklong runs. The film stars John Rhys-Davies (Killing Jesus, The Lord Of The Rings). The same co-writer of the faith-based phenoms Fireproof and Courageous, Stephen Kendrick, also co-wrote this film.

Freestyle Releasing also distributed God’s Not Dead on behalf of Pure Flix last March to great success. On a $2M budget, they earned a hefty $60.7M gross.

The agreement with Freestyle comes after producers have already pre-sold more than $470K before bowing in theaters this past Monday. Each showing of the $4M-budgeted film played for one night only in each theater. So far, they have played on 365 screens in all 50 states. On Monday, when Beyond The Mask opened on 181 theaters, it had taken in $242K, which translated into a per screen average of $1,300.

The film was co-written by Kendrick (Courageous, Fireproof) and Paul McCusker. It co-stars Kara Kilmer (Chicago Fire) and Andrew Cheney (Seasons Of Grey).

The production, marketing and distribution of Beyond The Mask has been completely grassroots. They started off with a Kickstarter campaign in 2011, raised the money, produced the picture and then worked out a deal with Gathr to help distribute the film. They marketed through churches, social media, home-schooling communities, and with volunteers from across the country.

And this one has a bit of a twist in that it is a period piece. Beyond The Mask follows a leading mercenary for the British East India Company who was double-crossed and is on the run in the American colonies. Working to redeem his name and win back the affections of the woman with whom he’s never been fully truthful, he hides behind a new mask in hopes of thwarting his former employer. As his past life closes in on him, he must somehow gain the trust and the help of his beloved Charlotte — as well as Ben Franklin — while he races against time to defuse a plot of historical proportions. It is being marketed as “a faith-based adventure celebrating grace, liberty and the true freedom that can only be found in Christ.”

“What would I do if we had a huge success? The first thing that comes to mind is creating more films to spread the hope and word of the Gospel and bring stories to families who can enjoy watching them together,” producer Aaron Burns said.

New Faith Film "Beyond The Mask" Hopes to Make Name with Special Effects

A new faith film "Beyond the Mask" is coming to theaters on April 6 bringing history to life with a talented cast, powerful script and quality special effects.

Starring John Rhys-Davies (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Lord of the Rings), Andrew Cheney, Kara Killmer, and Adetokumboh M'Cormack, "Beyond the Mask" features the adventures of William, a leading mercenary for the British East India Trading Company who has just been double-crossed and is on the run in the American Colonies. In order to redeem his name and win back the affections of the woman whose trust he lost, William hides behind a mask in hopes of thwarting his former boss. William must race against time to defuse a plot of historical proportions with help from his beloved Charlotte as well as Ben Franklin.

Written by Paul McCusker with help from "Courageous" scriptwriter Stephen Kendrick, "Beyond the Mask" celebrates grace, liberty, and true freedom that can only be found in Christ.

"It's unlike just about any movie I've ever seen," Kendrick said.

The Christian filmmaker, who co-wrote "Fireproof" along with his brother Alex Kendrick, went on to praise "Beyond the Mask" for ushering in a new era for faith-based films.

"This movie has more green screen shots and CG effects than any other live action Christian film in history," Kendrick explained. "The real adventure has been their creative climb of that digital Everest."

Hitmakers Behind Courageous and Fireproof Go Independent

The production team behind the hit movies, Courageous, Fireproof and Facing the Giants have launched a new production company.

With the support and blessing of their pastor, Alex and Stephen have expanded their movie making endeavors beyond Sherwood Baptist Church's walls.  Kendrick Brothers Productions has launched an independent movie production company designed to partner with believers across the nation and help train the next generation of Christian filmmakers. The Kendrick brothers plan to make their next movie under this new paradigm.

Pastor Catt said, “Jim and I are blessed to call Alex and Stephen our friends and co-laborers for the Gospel. They will continue to live in Albany and be an active part of the ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church. We love these guys and are grateful for God sending them to our staff over a decade ago. It will be exciting for us to take the steps of faith required to see where God will take us. No matter what lies ahead, this has been an incredible ride for all of us. Our prayers are with them as they pursue future endeavors.”

In a recent update on their site, Stephen posted that filming will begin next week:

Over the last five months we set up a production office, conducted online and live casting sessions, locked in our crew, and scouted the needed locations for the story. Every location is visually rich and completely fresh to us. God has provided an amazing cast of strong believers. Some are new faces to us, others you will recognize from our previous films, and there are a few surprises that many will recognize from the Christian ministry world. The Lord has also provided an excellent crew of Christian filmmakers and film-school interns. Many of them have been praying for God to open the door for them to work on a movie project that honors Him. Our production office is humming along. Lots of buzz. Tons of progress every day. We are very grateful that multiple pastors and churches are working together and surrounding this effort in prayer.

Courageous Remains in Top 10

For the fifth straight week, Courageous remains in the Top 10 grossing over $1.8 million and cuming over almost $28 million.

Dolphin Tale brought in another $1.6 million to bring its total to $67 million.

Fireproof Proves to be a $30 Million Winner

Fireproof remains in the Top 20 at the Box Office (currently #13) and has passed $30 million in ticket sales. Not too shabby for a movie with an approximate budget of $500K.

Hopefully the box office receipts are indicative of this film's impact on our culture and that positive influence will be magnified over time. It's also great to see a movie that effectively uses Christian music so well embraced.