Stephen Jones

In September of 2015, the Evangelical movie War Room sat atop the American box office, marking a unique trend among movie theaters nationwide: low-budget Christian movies raking in millions. Even though the Christian movie is not new to cinema, the amount of its recent success is. As with many things related to religion, these films have garnered controversial and polarizing opinions from critics and average moviegoers alike, and perhaps it is this contrast in attitudes that is garnering large amounts of attention; but before drawing any drastic conclusions, it is necessary to look at the statistics surrounding these films.

Three films in particular have boasted large box office success despite their meager production budget in the past couple of years: God’s Not Dead, Heaven is for Real, and War Room. The average production cost of these three movies is under $6 million, and they currently possess an estimated average of $63.8 million at the box office. Taking these numbers into account, these Evangelical films have definitely struck a chord with a portion of the general public, but critics have not exactly held the same enthusiasm. According to Rotten Tomatoes, a website that calculates the percentage of movie critics that gave a movie a favorable review, the average rating of these films is a disappointing 33%.

Although these movies have been critically panned, creating a Christian movie seems to be a very lucrative business proposition. With the production cost only a fraction of the modern Hollywood blockbuster, the risk in making a cheap Evangelical movie is fairly low. If a director can produce a movie appealing to churches across the country, finding a church van or bus in a
movie theatre parking lot will not be a difficult task. Much to the chagrin to the majority of critics and large sections of the general public, as long as filmmakers are able to rake in millions of dollars, the future production of Evangelical movies is indeed a certainty.

Stephen Jones

One of the best factors about going to the movies on a slow day, such as a Thursday as I did, is the lack of giant crowds and long waiting times. I prefer not having to wait for a solid 30 minutes just to get a ticket and a drink. The parking lot was not even halfway full when I purchased my ticket to American Ultra, resulting in the concessions not having any lines. How could I beat that?

Once I entered Theatre 6, I realized I would be watching American Ultra with two complete strangers sitting on opposite ends of the 150-seat theatre. Once the movie began, I noticed how the absence of people meant a significantly less chance of cell phone interruptions, especially since I sat near the front and a light from a phone screen would not be able to disturb me in the least.

As the movie progressed, I noted one downside: the lack of laughter. When people get together to see a comedy show, like a standup comedian or a comedy film, the audience seems to feed off of the energy and laughter that is shared amongst its members, but the movie was not really that funny to begin with. Making a movie about lazy stoner kid who is unknowingly a CIA sleeper cell is obviously going to be an Oscar-worthy event.

Even though the movie was, in my eyes, just a solid C+, I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that I did not have to worry about long lines and cell phone disturbances. I know some people might enjoy the spectacle of a major movie release, but as someone who loathes the thought of intermingling within a mass of humanity, I find the calm atmosphere nearly perfect for watching a movie completely free of distractions. Honestly, it is really amazing how one can really appreciate, or criticize, the content of movie without having to worry about disturbances.