Just in time for Easter, Hollywood executives are finding God, and the profits that come with movies and TV shows Christians are flocking to.
“It’s not their natural instinct to do that,” said Chris Stone, founder of the group Faith Driven Consumer that promotes Christian consumers to different markets. “But,” he added, “the market is there.”
While the entertainment industry has only occasionally produced Christian-themed films and shows, the schedule for this year is packed. It started with “Unbroken,” directed by Angelina Jolie, and includes NBC’s “A.D.,” Paramount’s “Ben Hur,” National Geographic’s “Killing Jesus,” and “Do You Believe,” from the makers of the popular movie “God’s Not Dead.”
“Unbroken” Director Angelina Jolie talks with Jack O’Connell, who played Louie Zamperini. AP Photo
Universal Pictures this month put an exclamation point on the trend when it announced plans to release a “bonus disk” to “Unbroken” that details how the subject of the movie, Louie Zamperini, decided to forgive his Japanese captors after attending a Billy Graham tent revival.
His son, Luke Zamperini, told Secrets that while “Unbroken” had a Christian theme, it was a film attractive to all kinds of viewers and is a model for Hollywood to follow. “It wasn’t just all Christians going,” he said.
Zamperini also had high praise for director Angelina Jolie. While her version did not include long footage of his dad’s life of forgiveness, it did note it and he said that was just fine for him.
Stone said that most Christians prefer a “straight story” that doesn’t deviate lots from their teachings. In return, they will buy tickets, a big deal since his polls show 41 million Christians spend $2 trillion a year on entertainment. “The prime driver is accuracy,” he said.
That’s where the “Unbroken” bonus DVD, titled “Legacy of Faith” comes in. Most studios would just let the movie speak for itself, but Universal realized that there was still much more to Zamperini’s story. The package is being released today in a thoroughly un-Hollywood fashion.
According to Stone’s group, more than 5,000 pastors and faith leaders joined a national Tele-Town Hall meeting last week to hear about it from Luke Zamperini.
The movie and bonus DVD will be made available at Christian book stores: Family Christian Bookstores, Mardel Christian Bookstores, and on ChristianBook.com. The added DVD includes more than 90 minutes of extras including interviews with Louie Zamperini, Billy Graham, Greg Laurie and others.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
