There is a theatrical hit
making its way to the home entertainment market place on Aug. 5 that the
entrenched “Entertainment Community” should take notice of.
Here are the
reasons.
First, there is this very
important point related to finished film product that this publication has been
making for some time now. A quality
film, with Hollywood-like production standards, can now be produced anywhere,
by anyone. You don’t have to be in Hollywood … and you
don’t have to have studio bacing.
We are seeing it over and
over again. Sure, most are genre
flicks, but there are more and more comedies and dramas that arrive with finished
production values that far exceed their budgets every month on DVD (and
Blu-ray).
Consider this, Johannes
Gutenberg invented (or, perhaps better stated, refined) the printing press in
the mid-15th Century and only those of wealth and power could
produce books, pamphlets and the like.
Control the means of production and control of the message is assured.
Today anyone can write,
design and print just about anything with a desktop computer.
In the world of film, the
parallels are similar, but the timeline has been dramatically shortened from
hundreds of years to just decades.
Movies, documentaries, how-to productions and on and on can be produced
by anyone, anywhere and at relatively low costs, which has to make the
Hollywood studios ever so nervous.
Second, the film, due out
on Aug. 5 as both DVD and Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack product offerings from Pure
Flix Extertainment is director Harold Cronk’s God’s Not Dead. It was absolutely savaged by the “mainstream”
media film critics. Most of these “professionals”
gave it scathing reviews not because of its production values, but its message.
For the record, that Aug.
5 date yields an ARR of 137 days.
And yet, even with
vitriol reserved for the likes of out-of-focused porn and big-budget
productions destined for Razzie status, God’s Not Dead pulled in $59.9
million in ticket sales.
An independent film,
outside of any studio distribution system, pulling in over $50 million is rare
indeed. But, quite frankly, we expect
to see more and more of these independently-produced films going forward … the
technology is there.
While God’s
Not Dead has too many side stories (a structural issue) that give it a
padded feel, its message definitely resonated soundly with an audience that
normally does not respond all that well to theatrical releases at the local
multiplex. Word of mouth sent these
“lost souls,” who have fallen outside of Hollywood’s ever-shrinking target
audience, with cash in hand to buy tickets.
Cash-paying theatrical
patrons not queued up for one of their film productions also makes Hollywood
nervous. And, perhaps, curious.
So what is the hubbub
with God’s
Not Dead?
Josh (Shane Harper — as
Austin Welch on TV series Awkward) is a college student
confronted with a difficult choice. To
pass a required class he must deny his faith.
Professor Radisson (Kevin
Sorbo), who is teaching some sort of required philosophy class, demands that
each of his students sign a pledge that “God is Dead.” Josh refuses, but instead of being handed a
grade of F and sent packing, Radisson challenges him to a series of three 15 to
20 minute debates. The students will
decide the outcome.
Of course the fix is in …
an experienced college professor against a neophyte student. This show of defiance will serve perfectly as
a “teaching” lesson.
The outcome seems certain
with Josh serving as the intellectual punching bag through the first two sessions. The final round comes and filmmaker Harold
Cronk (War Prayer, Jerusalem Countdown, etc.) delivers
the “Rocky moment” when Josh lands the knockout punch by asking one simple
question.
The intended audience
loved it. They can relate to a story about kids being
indoctrinated (bullied) by “echo chamber” college professors … the students
have to keep their mouths shut and take the classes.
Of course those drawn to God’s
Not Dead could see a bigger message … they see, in ever-growing
numbers, students graduating with worthless degrees, buried under mountains of
debt and destined to move back home. They
see the educational system that they pay for through their tax dollars used as
a club to attack religion and family.
They don’t like it.
A straw man getting his
comeuppance, what’s not to love!
Critics hated it. Audiences loved
it. And the so-called “Hollywood”
studios will take note of it.
Pure Flix Entertainment
will savor this moment … and make more films for audiences all but ignored by
Hollywood. Do the math, invest
$2,000,000, take in $60,000,000 theatrically and you still have all of the
ancillary markets to go … what’s not to love about that?
.jpg "Writer/Director Mike Flanagan's Oculus On DVD And Blu-ray Aug. 5 From 20th Century-Fox Home Entertainment")
