The Blind, the true-life story of the patriarch of the Robertson (Duck Dynasty) family, was scheduled to run for just one week. However, the results from the box office over its first weekend may just invite other theaters to host the film: It grossed a surprising $5.1 million despite its limited showing in just 1,715 theaters.
What’s more remarkable is that when the film was viewed in a special showing at the University of Mount Olive (North Carolina), 11 students accepted Christ and 30 students were baptized in the school’s outdoor baptistry.
And even more remarkable is that the film has already generated an “audience score” of 99 (out of 100) at Rotten Tomatoes, a review-aggregation website.
This is the first film project for Tread Lively Productions, begun by the Robertson family, and tells the true story of Phil and Kay Robertson long before their “Duck Dynasty” fame. It tells of how Phil in the early years of their marriage lost his way, became an alcoholic, and committed adultery, breaking the family apart. It follows to tell of a reunited family and how they rebuilt their relationship and then went on to create the “Duck Dynasty.”
Korie Robertson, Phil’s daughter-in-law and the film’s producer, said “the more people show up, the more people see it, the more opening weekend shows the success, the more theaters will pick it up and the longer it can potentially be in [theaters].”
That’s what happened with Jesus Revolution, released earlier this year. It was expected to have a modest weekend box office, but it turned out to be a smash hit. It chronicles the true story of how Chuck Smith, pastor of his tiny Calvary Chapel, was impacted by the “Jesus movement” in the late ’60s and early ’70s, which grew his church to tens of thousands of worshipers around the world. Its gross box office is now in excess of $50 million.
Another unexpected smash is the sobering Sound of Freedom, the true story of how former Homeland Security agent Tim Ballard successfully rescued young people from sex trafficking. What’s remarkable is that more than four million viewers have participated in the film’s “pay it forward” campaign, which allows strangers to see the film for free.
Newsweek has published a list of the top-grossing Christian-themed films since 2004, which puts The Passion of the Christ (2004) in the top spot, grossing more than $370 million.
However, the combined trio of The Chronicles of Narnia — The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; Prince Caspian; and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader — outperformed Passion, grossing more than $500 million.
Sound of Freedom is next, with nearly $200 million in gross box office receipts (so far). Others on Newsweek’s list include Heaven Is for Real, I Can Only Imagine, War Room, Miracles From Heaven, God’s Not Dead, Son of God, The Shack, Soul Surfer, and The Star.
Christiangists.com, a Christian website, offers its own list of suggestions for believers to see this year, including His Only Son, which traces the faith journey of Abraham, and On a Wing and a Prayer, the true story of Doug White and his family facing a crisis when the pilot of their small plane dies unexpectedly midair. According to Christiangists, the film “re-affirms the power of faith and prayer in critical times and relates the miracle of God’s mercy.”
There’s Roll With It, a Christian comedy featuring Michael W. Smith, and Big George Foreman, which gives insight into the greatest comeback in the history of heavyweight boxing and the transformation of Foreman into a preacher of the Gospel after his near-death experience.
The Wedding Weekend tells the story of a group of guys who sang together in college getting together again to celebrate a friend’s wedding and learning how much their lives have changed along the way.
The Hill, starring Dennis Quaid, is an inspiring story of the physically challenged but gifted baseball player Rickey Hill.
Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist explores the lives of those left behind after the rapture. And there is Come Out in Jesus’ Name, reviewing the ministry of Greg Locke, the founder of Global Vision Bible Church in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. It’s the true story of how the Holy Spirit is working in his ministry to cast out demons and deliver those who are possessed. It has an audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes of 97 percent.
According to Newsweek there is “currently a resurgence in faith films — at least 28 of them have been released in the past six years.” As the culture increasingly reflects the deleterious impact of Marxism, believers are turning to Christian-based faith films to reaffirm their commitments to Christ and remind them of His eminent greatness and presence in that great ongoing war.
