Faith-based films like Miracles from Heaven build followings at the American box office
A growing segment of Hollywood is making religious films and increasing sales by asking pastors and religious leaders to promote their products
In the weeks before the American opening of Sony Pictures’ Miracles from Heaven, producer DeVon Franklin flew to churches around the country to screen the inspirational Jennifer Garner film about a young girl diagnosed with a rare medical condition.
At one gathering of 400 people in Baltimore, he says, audience members responded to the film by sharing their own stories of healing and loss. One woman took the microphone to talk about her son who was shot to death four years ago.
“This is why I’ve dedicated my life to making stories like this,” says Franklin, a Christian and former Columbia Pictures executive who has a production deal with Sony. “It’s more than a ticket sale at the box office. It becomes real-life ministry.”
Faith-based films are a growing, often profitable segment of the entertainment industry, and more producers and executives are trying to tap into the market. The 2015 prayer-focused hit War Room cost just US$3 million to make but grossed US$67.8 million at the box office. Miracles from Heaven and the biblical epic Risen have generated strong business despite opening only a few weeks apart.
Each of those films was produced by Sony’s faith-based division, Affirm Films.