A Divine Year for Religious Movies. Hollywood is not known for its affinity for religion, other than the worship of blockbusters. However, the movie industry seems to be changing its tune when it comes to making films with biblical themes. 2014 was a particularly prolific year for religious movies and there are other promising projects on tap for 2015.
The Religious Influence in 2014
According to a Gallop poll, approximately 50 percent of Americans classify themselves as “Christian” or “Protestant” with an additional 24 percent identifying as Catholic. Movie makers have learned it can be lucrative to make films for religious audiences, who seem more than happy to buy tickets to see characters and ideas with which they identify on the silver screen. The Bible is also a treasure trove of material; it has many larger than life characters, action packed tales and compelling storylines.
2014 was one of the best years in recent memory for religious movies and there were five main films released. Two of them featured A-list Hollywood stars and had large production budgets. All five achieved some degree of commercial success and are listed below.
- Son of God (released in February)
Based on the 2013 History Channel miniseries The Bible, It tells the story of the life of Jesus from birth through adulthood, including his crucifixion and resurrection. This film has grossed $59.7 million.
- Noah (released in March)
Starring Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Anthony Hopkins and Emma Watson, Noah is one of the highest grossing religious films of all time. To date, it has made $101 million. The movie is based on the story of Noah’s Ark from the Book of Genesis. The film received criticism from a number of Christian groups who felt too many artistic liberties were taken in the movie; Noah was portrayed as a fanatic and there were modern day warnings about the perils of global warming.
- God’s Not Dead (released in March)
This movie chronicles the story of an evangelical Christian college student who challenges the curriculum of one of his professors who does not believe God exists. It has grossed $60.8 million.
- Heaven is for Real (released in April)
Grossing $91.4 million, the film tells the story of a small-town pastor (played by Greg Kinnear) who is challenged to share the story of his son who experienced Heaven during a near-death experience.
- Exodus: Gods and Kings (December)
Starring Christian Bale, Sigourney Weaver and Ben Kingsley, Exodus is the story of Moses. The film was released in December and has grossed $64 million to date.
Highest Grossing Biblical Films of All Time
Over the years, there have been several religious themed movies that have achieved tremendous box office success. Here are the top three.
- The Ten Commandments (1954)
Starring Charlton Heston and Yule Brynner, The Ten Commandments is the most successful religious movie in history and tells the story of Moses. It made $65.5 million which, when adjusted for ticket price inflation, equates to over $1 billion today.
- Ben Hur (1959)
Although not taken directly from the Bible, Ben Hur is set in New Testament Jerusalem and features a few scenes with Jesus Christ. The film won 11 Oscars and made approximately $795.7 million with ticket sales adjusted for inflation.
- Passion of the Christ (2004)
Directly by Mel Gibson, himself a Catholic, the film primarily portrays the last 12 hours of the life of Jesus Christ. It grossed over $370 million, or $484.5 million factoring in ticket price inflation
More religious movies in 2015
Religious movies performed well in 2014, and this is set to continue into 2015. Mary tells the story of the life of Jesus, Mary and Joseph under reign of King Herod. The film is scheduled for an Easter release and stars Ben Kingsley and Julia Ormond.
It remains to be seen if religious movies will continue to hold the interest of movie makers. The success of the genre in 2014 certainly gives the powers that be in Hollywood much to contemplate.