Despite being widely criticised by film critics, faith based films "God's Not Dead 2" and "Miracles from Heaven" are doing well in terms of ticket sales, as a testament to the loyal and solid following of faith based audiences.
According to a report by Christian Headlines, "God's Not Dead 2" which opened in cinemas last April 1 scored $8.1 million in its first three days.
"God's Not Dead 2" stars Melissa Joan Hart as an embattled schoolteacher who became embroiled in a legal battle for answering a question about Jesus Christ in class. The movie has been criticised as a dull courtroom drama that lacks the charm that propelled the hit "God's Not Dead" to blockbuster level.
"That aesthetic lack of subtlety is apt, considering that dramatically speaking, "God's Not Dead 2" operates at the level of your average middle-school play – except with far greater levels of upside-down logic and bald-faced intolerance for anyone not enraptured by the New Testament," Variety's Nick Schaeger decreed.
"Miracles from Heaven" which stars Jennifer Garner and Queen Latifah continues to perform well as it added the $7.6 million last weekend, bringing its total to $46.8 million.
Critics were not so tough on "Miracles from Heaven" as they credited Jennifer Garner's performance. However, there were those who expressed disappointment that Queen Latifah's acting skills were not as fully utilised in the film.
The film revolves around a religious family who find themselves questioning their faith when one of the children is diagnosed with a rare and potentially fatal disease.
"Garner shines while Queen Latifah is utterly wasted in this rote Christian-themed drama that preaches to the choir – and no one else, The Guardian's Nigel Smith posted on his review.
Com Score media analyst Paul Dergarabedian put the success of the movie down to faith-based audiences.
"For that film to be doing this well is a testament to how loyal and passionate the faith-based audience is. Closing in on $50 million, it's a total moneymaking machine," he said.
