Subscribe to RSS
"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15)

Help This Ministry

Sign Up 

 For a free subscription to The Layman and/or our weekly e-mail news alerts, click here.

 

[Back to Listing]

Taking on Hollywood,
with the Church’s help

By Edward Terry, The Layman, Posted Friday, June 12, 2009

Rich Christiano hopes to beat Hollywood at its own game.

"The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry" is set to open Sept. 18 in theaters. The movie's producers are asking churches across the country to sponsor the independent Christian film in their own communities for $2,000. The first $2,000 made at each theater, plus an additional royalty on the overall box office total, will be paid back to the sponsoring churches.


 
That sounds strange coming from someone who makes his living writing and directing films. But Christiano, who along with his brother Dave operates Christiano Brothers Films, isn’t the normal Hollywood type.

Aside from delivering the message of God’s grace to a movie-going public that normally prefers films laced with violence, sex and profanity, he’s trying to reach American moviegoers without the help of Hollywood. Instead of using a big marketing budget, he is enlisting Christian congregations nationwide to help deliver the message.

“Ninety-nine percent of the movies that come out in the theater either blaspheme the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, go against His teachings or leave Him out,” said Christiano, who is a born-again Christian. “And we as the Church really don’t do anything about it. We play defense.

“I say we have to forget Hollywood, and we need to go on the offense. We have the Truth … let’s put it out there.”

Even though secular entertainment dominates Hollywood, Christian films have gained popularity in the last five years. Topping the list of recent successes are “Fireproof” (2008) and “Facing the Giants” (2006), which collectively earned more than $43 million at the box office and an additional $49 million in DVD sales. The production budget for both films combined was $600,000.

Released in 2004 Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” ranks at No. 12 all-time in box office sales at $370 million, making it the highest grossing Christian film ever. Wedged between “Spider Man 2” and “Jurassic Park,” “Passion” demonstrates the power of the Christian audience. Christiano is hoping to see the body of Christ again show its strength when his new movie “The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry” hits theaters Sept. 18.

Unlike “Passion,” which was rated R for the violent imagery of Christ’s crucifixion, Christiano’s movie is rated PG and appropriate for most ages.

“If everybody that goes to church goes to see this movie, we’ll beat ‘Titanic’ at the box office,” he said of the $600 million top grossing film of all-time in America. “The theaters are not against us. They just want to sell popcorn and make money. It’s up to us if we want to change it.”

Nearly three months before its planned release, the full-length film is already creating a buzz. ABC News’ Nightline featured the film in a June 5 report entitled “Box Office Busters from ‘Godlywood’,” which explored the Christian movie genre.

In the report, Samuel Goldwyn Films President Meyer Gottlieb said it’s a huge audience that Hollywood is not properly serving. Samuel Goldwyn Films put its Hollywood muscle behind “Fireproof” in 2008 making the low-budget production among the most successful independent films of the year. It beat out Oscar-winner “Milk” in ticket sales and the number of screens on which it was shown.

“I think there are great opportunities,” Gottlieb said in the ABC News report. “I like to do at least one or two Christian films a year.”

Even though Christiano wants “Sperry” to be viewed alongside Hollywood releases on the country’s big screens, he doesn’t want to do it the Hollywood way.

The producers are looking to the Church to generate widespread distribution of the film and its message of God’s grace. Taking a grassroots approach, Christiano is asking congregations to sponsor the film in their communities. For $2,000, which covers the cost of printing the film, Christiano books a screen at the theater of the sponsor’s choice and promises to pay back that sponsorship, plus an additional gift to the church’s ministry. 

"The first $2,000 we receive back from the theater goes back to the sponsor.  And then, as a thank you, we donate 15 percent of any additional proceeds we receive from that theater to the church's ministry," Christiano said.

So far, the movie is planned for 125 screens in the United States, thanks to church sponsorships. Christiano now is busy garnering support through word of mouth and by allowing pastors to screen the movie before its release. So far, churches in Memphis, Tampa, Oklahoma City, Fullerton, Calif., and many others have signed on.

If the movie matches box office totals for “Fireproof,” which has grossed $33.4 million in U.S. ticket sales, that could mean a collective $4 million “thank you” paid out by Christiano to sponsors.

“It’s a win-win,” he told pastors at a screening in the Chicago area. “It’s the body of Christ coming together to fight the fight.”

Set in 1970 upstate New York, the plot centers on three teen-aged boys who are befriended by 75-year-old Christian widower named Jonathan Sperry. Through Bible studies at his home, Sperry teaches the boys to deal with everyday teen issues such as bullying and changes their lives forever. It’s a touching story that offers plenty of laughs and drama, with Gospel teachings as a central theme.

The title character is played by 79-year-old Gavin MacLeod, best known for his roles on “The Love Boat” and hosting a ministry program with his wife on the TLN network. The film also stars Robert Guillaume, a star on the TV series “Soap,” and 14-year-old Jansen Panettiere, the younger brother of movie star Hayden Panettiere.

Even though his 50 years in entertainment has included working with Hollywood’s biggest names and starring in some of television’s all-time great programs, such as “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “Hawaii Five-O,” MacLeod said “Sperry” is his favorite.

“Nothing, nothing, nothing that I’ve worked on before this film has given me more pride, more humility and really feeling like I was serving God,” MacLeod said. “To be able to say the words that Rich gave me, and the Scriptures, in a movie that can reach thousands, yea millions of people, is the greatest award I’ve been given.”

MacLeod said “Sperry” has been screened at several Christian movie festivals. One long-time festival organizer said it has brought more people to Christ than any other movie he’s shown at the festival so far.

“To be a part of that is really humbling,” MacLeod said.

Several examples were offered at the Chicago screening, including a 67-year-old woman in Boston who watched the movie and returned to see it with her 90-year-old mother “who doesn’t believe in anything." After the movie, the 90-year-old walked by herself to the front of the theater when an invitation to Christ was offered. MacLeod estimates that hundreds of others reacted similarly.

In condemning the influence Hollywood has on society, Christiano referenced the opening weekend success of the horror flick “Drag Me to Hell.” The thought that many Christian kids added to the opening weekend ticket sales of $16 million troubled him, and he hopes that other Christians share his concern.

“As a conviction, let me say this: I think entertainment is the god of this country, and the biggest problem the Church faces is secular entertainment,” Christiano said. “The Church can rise up and start supporting these movies so we can take back the culture. If the Church doesn’t rise up, you’re going to get the same old, same old.”

DISCLAIMER: The Layman Online is a news and information resource. We welcome letters and commentaries from readers. Letters and commentaries are selected for publication based on their clarity and brevity, subject to editing, and also are chosen to represent a diverse set of views on as many issues as possible. These letters and commentaries are provided as an informational service and do not necessarily indicate an endorsement by The Layman Online or the Presbyterian Lay Committee.