Faith-based films normally fail to draw the interest of mainstream audiences, but new movies such as "War Room," "Captive," and the soon-to-be released "Woodlawn" are defying the norm by generating a lot of buzz and raking in huge box office numbers.
"War Room"—produced by the same creators of "Courageous," "Fireproof," and "Facing the Giants"—tells the story of a family in crisis and how one mother saved it through the power of prayer. Made with just $3 million, it has now earned more than $50 million, according to Breaking Christian News.
Meanwhile, "Captive" is a true-to-life drama based on the book written by Ashley Smith called "Unlikely Angel." The movie shows how she survived a hostage crisis by reading passages from Rick Warren's bestselling book "The Purpose Driven Life" to the hostage-taker, who had a change of heart after hearing them. It stars Kate Mara as Smith and Emmy-nominated David Oyelowo as her captor Brian Nichols.
"Woodlawn," on the other hand, is produced by power couple Mark Burnett and Roma Downey and stars Academy Award winner Jon Voight and Sean Astin. It tells the true-to-life story of a football team in Alabama that defied racism and hate back in the early 1970s. It will open on Oct. 16.
The American Family Association (AFA), which promotes family-friendly entertainment, said the success merited by these movies only goes to show that moviegoers want "good news" films that will uplift the spirits and leave a positive impact on children, families, and society.
"American Family Association takes on many heavy issues in society, but we like to go to the movies, too," said AFA President Tim Wildmon. "When entertainment, however, tears down our society and is a negative influence on our kids, we feel we must step in. At the same time, when there are wonderful options for families to watch together, we want to bring these films to the attention of everyone. For decades, the big screen has been dominated by violence, sex, drugs and crime. But this fall, there is a bit of light, and families whose dollars are driven by their values will have some great movie picks this fall. Hopefully, this trend is a glimpse of things to come and our culture will show some evidence of the impact."
