LOS ANGELES, September 3, 2015 (ChurchMilitant.com) - The Hollywood world is in shock over the unanticipated success of a Christian film that debuted over the weekend.
"War Room," a film about the power of prayer, has pulled in $13.5 million since opening this past Friday, finishing second overall at the box office behind the critically acclaimed "Straight Outta Compton," the number-one spot holder for the third week in a row. "War Room," despite receiving predictably poor reviews from critics, has garnered much praise from audiences: According to film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, "War Room" has a 30 percent approval rating from critics, in contrast to a 91 percent approval rating among audience members. Released by Sony Pictures subsidiary TriStar Pictures, "War Room" was produced on a budget of only $3 million, a surpisingly low amount for today's standards.
The film, expected to receive only moderate attention, was given a limited release of just over 1,000 screens nationwide and little to no advertising — but it managed to beat out Zac Efron's music drama film "We Are Your Friends" and an Owen Wilson political thriller, "No Escape," both of which received wide releases and lots of mainstream promotion.
The success of "War Room," which tells the story of an affluent African-American couple caught in the throes of a failing relationship who turn to prayer in order to save their marriage, has left critics bewildered. "Christian drama 'War Room' is doing far better than expected in its North American box office debut, all but tying with champ 'Straight Outta Compton,'" wrote the Hollywood Reporter, while Variety proclaimed the film's success "upended the expectations of box office prognosticators."
"We knew that we were going to get a lot of love," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony. "We just didn't expect quite this much love."
However, analysts have said the film's success shouldn't come as too big a suprise, as it follows a recent pattern of independent Christian films performing very well at the box office: last year's "God's Not Dead" accrued $61 million on a $2 million budget; 2014's "Heaven Is for Real" also did very well, earning $101.3 million worldwide.
"'War Room' is just the latest example of the power and box office clout of the faith-based audience and the profound interest this group has in supporting movies that reflect their values and worldview," said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior data analyst at media measurement corporation Rentrak.
Cinemas have also seen an increase in major motion pictures tackling well-known biblical stories. Last year saw the release of both "Noah" starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale's "Exodus: Gods and Kings," which recounted the story of Moses. While a firestorm of controversy concerning faithfulness and accuracy surrounded both films, they enjoyed decent box office performances.
Next year will see the release of historical epics "Ben-Hur" and "Risen," which tells the story of a Roman centurion charged by Pontius Pilate to investigate rumors of the resurrection of Christ.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIl-XY9t_Lw
"War Room," a film about the power of prayer, has pulled in $13.5 million since opening this past Friday, finishing second overall at the box office behind the critically acclaimed "Straight Outta Compton," the number-one spot holder for the third week in a row. "War Room," despite receiving predictably poor reviews from critics, has garnered much praise from audiences: According to film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, "War Room" has a 30 percent approval rating from critics, in contrast to a 91 percent approval rating among audience members. Released by Sony Pictures subsidiary TriStar Pictures, "War Room" was produced on a budget of only $3 million, a surpisingly low amount for today's standards.
The film, expected to receive only moderate attention, was given a limited release of just over 1,000 screens nationwide and little to no advertising — but it managed to beat out Zac Efron's music drama film "We Are Your Friends" and an Owen Wilson political thriller, "No Escape," both of which received wide releases and lots of mainstream promotion.
The success of "War Room," which tells the story of an affluent African-American couple caught in the throes of a failing relationship who turn to prayer in order to save their marriage, has left critics bewildered. "Christian drama 'War Room' is doing far better than expected in its North American box office debut, all but tying with champ 'Straight Outta Compton,'" wrote the Hollywood Reporter, while Variety proclaimed the film's success "upended the expectations of box office prognosticators."
"We knew that we were going to get a lot of love," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony. "We just didn't expect quite this much love."
However, analysts have said the film's success shouldn't come as too big a suprise, as it follows a recent pattern of independent Christian films performing very well at the box office: last year's "God's Not Dead" accrued $61 million on a $2 million budget; 2014's "Heaven Is for Real" also did very well, earning $101.3 million worldwide.
"'War Room' is just the latest example of the power and box office clout of the faith-based audience and the profound interest this group has in supporting movies that reflect their values and worldview," said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior data analyst at media measurement corporation Rentrak.
Cinemas have also seen an increase in major motion pictures tackling well-known biblical stories. Last year saw the release of both "Noah" starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale's "Exodus: Gods and Kings," which recounted the story of Moses. While a firestorm of controversy concerning faithfulness and accuracy surrounded both films, they enjoyed decent box office performances.
Next year will see the release of historical epics "Ben-Hur" and "Risen," which tells the story of a Roman centurion charged by Pontius Pilate to investigate rumors of the resurrection of Christ.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIl-XY9t_Lw
