The movie, which has a strong faith-based message and was made with a budget of just $500,000 and a volunteer cast that includes former teen idol Kirk Cameron, has been surprisingly successful. Its opening on 839 screens two weeks ago was strong enough to propel it to No. 4 at the box office. It stayed in the top 10 last weekends, at No. 8, and has earned an estimated $13.6 million and spawned a best-selling book that started as a prop.
People acknowledged the movie is not as artistically or technically fancy as many films out of Hollywood, but say its appeal is its relatable message that things aren’t always easy but marriage is worth fighting for. That message is conveyed by the title, which takes on a double meaning given that the main character is a firefighter.
Part of the film’s success can be attributed to a marketing plan that targeted areas with large and enthusiastic faith-based communities. Distributor had a pretty good idea of where it might do well based on where “Facing the Giants” succeeded.
We want to go enjoy good movies, but we rarely ever see the kind of movie that we have been longing to see, where there’s a moral message that’s communicated, it’s clean, we can watch it with your kids, your wife, your grandmother, but you can laugh and cry and be entertained.