The fact is, this phenomenon of "Christian films" really didn't begin with any sort of big screen presence until 10 years ago.
One of the first films to hit the big screen was the Omega Code. Some in the Christian community were excited about this film because it was an action/spy style film "big name stars" Michael York and Casper Van Diem and a bigger budget than similar projects had before. Yet despite all it's horrible reviews, and really just a muddled and horrible film, it still was bizarrely profitable (7.6 million dollar budget 12.6 million dollars in the theaters). In fact, this horrible film even got a sequel (Megiddo: The Omega Code 2 in 2001).
Yet despite these films had moderate success for their low budgets the challenge really seems in what is their function. The Omega Code's muddled plots with biblical references and concepts, really seemed like it had the hopes of capturing the type of crowd that would watch movies like Mission: Impossible, and yet the Mission: Impossible crowd didn't gravitate towards this movie.
The earliest Christian movies didn't seem to draw a non-Christian audience, but they're broad limited marketing seemed focused on trying to capture a secular audience. Yet, these films probably failed in this aim.

In trying to be accessible to vast audiences, these films generally fell flat. Low reviews, low box office grosses, and only relative successes.
Another film that had the chance to break in to the "history of big screen Christian flicks" was a big screen role for the Veggie Tales with the film Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie. Again, a profit was made with a $25 million box office pull with $14 million budget.
Yet when studios realized with Passion of the Christ that there was a Christian film audience, bigger studios began doing the leg work for the "Christian film scene" with their own films, like The Nativity Story or Evan Almighty.
Previously Christians were trying to make films for vast audiences, and now Studios were trying to make films for Christians.

Evan Almighty grossed $173 million in the theaters and was successful, although I imagine many Christian audiences didn't rush to theaters because there wasn't any "Christian purpose" behind the film and to the ultra-conservative Christian viewer this liberal and comedic story of God's wrath might not have been exactly what captured the church pulpits.
Yet, this passion for trying to capture the Church audience opened up a wider opportunities for films that were more Christian.

Facing The Giants really is one of the biggest success stories, it's $100,000 budget was multiplied to $10 million dollar's in the box office.
Sherwood Pictures followed this up with their third film the 2008 release Fireproof. Fireproof in it's widest release had 905 theaters and consistently stayed in the top 10 box office grosses after it was released. It ended up grossing over $33 million dollars, with a half million dollar budget.
I think, by an large, these are the first films that have captured a Christian audiences. Maybe the gross is not above the 100 million dollar gross line, but it opens up a field for Christian film makers to make Christian films, and they're winning over an audience that is passionate about contemporary Christian films.
In just a short period of time this unique sub genre of films has popped up and not even counting the post-theater gross, these films have made money, and when it comes to putting movies on the big screens studios and theaters are interested in films that will make money. Yet the sub-genre is still young and the people behind the decisions are still trying to figure out what it means to make films by or marketed to Christians.
3 comments:
I guess I'm a glutton for punishment, especially after seeing the Anonymous comment below, but here goes: The issue with the Sherwood Films' stable seems to be that they strongly develop one part of storytelling (theme) while giving short shrift to the rest (plot, character, setting). We need strong messages in our narratives, but we also need rounded characters, engaging plots and intriguing settings.
Okay, let fly with the arrows.
First of all, I really hate the term "Christian Movies." I think that it puts a pressure on a film that it cannot uphold...even for some of the same reaons that I Loren mentions above. I think that there is a long way to go in cultivating excellence with regards to movie that promote a Biblical message.
I give total props to Sherwood Baptist Church for delving in and spurring on creativity and telling the story of Christ's love and redemption through film.
When you put it that way there aren't that many examples to go by. Good series!
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