Posted on 12/06/2006 7:45:53 PM PST by AngieGal
Hollywood will not make anymore religious films unless Christians go and see The Nativity Story in large numbers
That’s the view of its producer, Marty Bowen
By Dan Wooding Founder of ASSIST Ministries Poster for The Nativity Story
HOLLYWOOD, CA (ANS) -- Marty Bowen, producer of The Nativity Story which came in fourth in the weekend box office in the United States, is concerned that Hollywood will not make anymore religious films unless Christians now go and see the movie in large numbers.
Despite many good reviews, New Line’s The Nativity Story, the story of Christ’s birth, only took in $8 million in the United States from 3,183 locations to come in fourth, while, for the third week in a row, the No. 1 and No. 2 films remain Warners' Happy Feet and Sony's Casino Royale, respectively. Buena Vista's Déjà Vu also remained unchanged from its third place finish last week, netting an additional $11 million.
In an interview with ANS, Marty Bowen said he was disappointed with the fact that the movie only came in fourth.
“I thought it was incredibly disheartening for a variety of different reasons, not the least of which is you hear this common lament from moviegoers that America feels like Hollywood has lost touch with what they want to see. People feel like there is too much violence in movies and too much disrespect towards the family.
“Now finally a Hollywood studio has stepped up and put their money where their mouth is and has committed to making and releasing a movie, not on a couple of screens but rather on a very big very large fashion – more than three-thousand screens around the country -- and giving the audience what they say they want and yet that sense of urgency in that audience isn’t there to go and see it.
“What is disappointing is you hear people talk about how we can make movies better but if you don’t go see them when they are presented to you, Hollywood’s never going to do it again. And that’s what is frustrating to me because I changed careers to make movies that would inspire people and if there’s not a business for it, and I can’t find a studio to make the movies that I want to make, then that’s disappointing.”
Bowen, who was formerly an agent, went on to say, “Hollywood hasn’t made a Biblical film like this for decades. The Passion Of The Christ was one man’s journey and he [Mel Gibson] did a phenomenal job.
“I think what happens in a movie like this is that people say, ‘I’ll get to see the movie when I get around to it.’ What they don’t understand is that this is a business. These theater owners have a lot of demand for their screens and if a movie does not perform well on December 1st, despite the fact that it is the reason for this holiday season -- it’s the Christmas story -- it might not make it to December 25th, and that angers me.
“It just really saddens me that a movie that’s about the birth of Jesus may not be in theaters when that celebration of that birth takes place. And that’s really disappointing.
“People don’t seem to realize that when a studio commits tens of millions of dollars to make a movie they expect an audience to go see it; and if they don’t see it soon they’ll never be around to see it later.
When asked if he had a message to American Christians, he replied, “There needs to be a sense that, if what you want is to see films that are about faith and family and you want to light a fire under your neighbors to be inspired to live the life that you feel like is fulfilling to you, then you need to support films that have a similar message. If you don’t then you need to be ok with the idea that next year at the box office there’s going to be a movie about some guy cutting people’s throats around a Christmas tree.
“That’s the nature of the beast. It’s a sad commentary to me that when we considered the possibility of naming this movie Silent Night we couldn’t do that because that sounded like a horror film. That’s awful. So that’s why I put it [The Nativity Story] out there. You can’t wait to see this movie because you’re giving the wrong message to Hollywood.”
Bowen concluded by saying, “It’s not an effective argument, in my opinion, to wait around until Hollywood makes the decision for themselves and then, what they make is something you find morally reprehensible, and then you protest. To me that’s negative reinforcement. Positive reinforcement has always been more effective. If a movie speaks to what you want movies to be about than you need to support it or you need to shut up.”
So, what are you waiting for? Go and see The Nativity Story before it is too late!
Note: I’d like to thank Robin Frost for transcribing this interview.
We went last night; it was good. (We already knew the ending. HA!)
I went opening day and loved the movie.
Then I came home and read Matthew and Luke.
I plan to go again. Let's support them when they're doing something right.
Who wants to pay to see a flim about God made by the godless? Good riddance to bad rubbish!
Well Marty, your studio stupidly released it two weeks too early. It's a family film and a Christmas film and Dec. 1 is too early for your target audience.
We're taking our youth group this Sunday, but I know many, many people who plan to see it the 23rd or the 26th when their extended family gets together.
I am also sure it will do well on dvd next Christmas as this is the kind of thing you give your grandbabies.
I went last Saturday with my wife. It was a very good movie. If you want more good movies with values you are going to have to go to them in the theaters, it's called capitalism. Movie makers will not make movie after movie if they continuously lose money. Show that there is a demand for these types of movies and you will get more of them.
I saw it. It's a good picture. If I had a family, I would take them to it.
Traditionally, films made specifically for the holiday season don't do well. That doesn't mean it won't be a success, though. My feeling is that it will be a 'family classic', ie, something that will make money in the future from DVD sales and TV franchising.
"Documentaries are not typical movies."
Now that you mention it, it seems to me that this movie is a documentary. It is definitely nonfiction. Check the dictionary.com definition:
doc·u·men·ta·ry
Movies, Television. based on or re-creating an actual event, era, life story, etc., that purports to be factually accurate and contains no fictional elements
It's important because there are a lot of believers out there in Hollywood that are fighting for our beliefs. These aren't dishonest, new-age, liberal Christians. These are true believers. And if you don't support movies like this, you won't get anymore in the future.
Just something to think about: This is the first time in history when the main artistic influence is secular liberalism. Previously, the Christian church paid people full time to paint a beautiful mural or sculp a statue. It's the same reason why many churches today pay their chorus leaders full time.
Beauty through art, team with truth, through the word of God, has an amazing way of transforming people. I know I felt that transformation when I watched "The Passion." If you want more movies like that, then get to the box office. If you want more "Brokeback Mountains," then please stay home.
Sounds like Blackmail to me.
sweet now can they stop making all the other movies as well
Is it OK if I just buy a ticket and do something better than watch a rote retelling of the Nativity story?
Good movies succeed. Bad movies fail. This feels like an attempt by calculating hollywood-types to make make money off gullible Christians.
My kids are 3rd and 6th grade. There are some violent scenes with the Roman soldiers, but I wouldn't call it too gory. There is a troubling scene with a few dead men hanging from a tree, but it's very brief, and I'm not sure my kids even caught it. There are scenes when Elizabeth and Mary are both giving painful births, but I consider that one educational. Over all, it lead my kids to ask questions and consider things from the nativity story that they've never considered before. Everything from the journey to Bethlehem not being an easy walk just down the road, to Mary being so young, to the turbulent Roman world of the time.
I'm not in a rush to see it because I don't trust Hollywood to do a good job and I don't want to support them in anything. Besides, they'll probably make Joseph gay or imply that the birth wasn't virgin or something like that.
Hollywood can rot. Anytime I can be part of them losing money, I'm all in!
Bump! I went to see The Passion and took my daughter and grandaughters.
If Hollywood doesn't praise Christ, the rocks will cry out!!
The last religious movie I saw was Monty Python's The Life of Brian.
Any Gladiators in it? Chariot racing? Naval battles?
If not how can it change history!
Gee, I'm really worried especially after "The Last Temptation of Christ".
prolly... let's judge her!
I totally agree with you. I am too busy with school projects to take the kids to this one immediately. My husband and niece will take our three children closer to Christmas. Lucky me gets to stay home with the little one.
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