"Narnia" Film May Signal Greater Acceptance of Faith-Themed Movies

From Catholic News Service:

PLANO, Texas (CNS) -- The Dec. 9 release of "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," the potential Christmas blockbuster based on a novel by Christian writer C.S. Lewis, may signal Hollywood is focusing more on audiences for whom religion is important.

David DiCerto, a movie reviewer for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said he has noticed a greater number of movies being targeted toward Christian audiences.

This can be seen as "an economic byproduct of the success of 'The Passion of the Christ,'" he said.

With Mel Gibson's film grossing more than $400 million in worldwide box office proceeds, according to an Associated Press report, Christian audiences are establishing themselves as a lucrative market for Hollywood producers. Grass-roots evangelical campaigns are starting to grow around religious-themed movies being released.

In October, Stonebriar Community Church in Plano hosted about 300 moviegoers excited to get a sneak peek of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." Attendees were selected as local faith leaders. The event was one of 140 held across the United States by Motive Entertainment, which also conducted similar events for the "The Passion."

The event at Stonebriar was billed as an "exclusive experience for leaders of faith in the community." It was attended by Michael Flaherty, president of Walden Media, the Narnia film production company, and Doug Gresham, co-producer of the film and stepson of Lewis.

For Flaherty and Walden Media, attending the outreach-oriented sneak peek was just one part of promoting the movie.

"We're willing to talk to almost all audiences that want to hear about the movies we make," he told the Texas Catholic, newspaper of the Diocese of Dallas. "People seem to be interested that we're going to churches to promote this movie, but we're also going to schools, libraries, Boy Scout and Girl Scout groups. We're going everywhere."

Once inside the event, the audience was treated to a range of Narnia-related sights and sounds. They saw exclusive clips of the film and heard Grammy-winning Christian musician Steven Curtis Chapman performing songs from the "Inspired By" Narnia album. Audience members also received free material describing how the "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" can be incorporated into local outreach activities.

"What I found interesting was the number of important figures from Disney and Walden Media that were there to court the Christian market," said John Reis, national accounts director of Good News Advertising, a Dallas-based company. Good News Advertising was hired to put "Narnia" advertisements in 64 Christian newspapers nationwide, including 46 Catholic newspapers.

"The sneak peek gave me the sense that they realize the viability of the Christian market," Reis said.

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My Comments:
Sarah and I almost NEVER go to the movies because we can't stand the way Hollywood constantly insults our moral and political values. In the last 5 years, I've seen 4 movies in the theaters, consisting of "The Passion of the Christ" and the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

That being said, we can hardly wait to see this movie. Here's hoping that Hollywood produces more fare like "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe".