Small budget ‘War Room’ soars at local, national box office

Perlman said “War Room“, which follows the story of an affluent couple whose marriage is falling apart – that is, until the wife turns to prayer with the help of an older friend, wasn’t a “typically preachy film” and while his twin brother had told him it was “important” to see, he didn’t realize he would soon witness the scope of the impact the movie had on those in the theater with him.

All of the films have come through faith-based TriStar/Affirm wing of Sony.

Its title seems more like a suspenseful thriller about geopolitical warfare, but the content is anything but.

“(This movie) made me more strategic, deliberate and intentional with my prayers… instead of just being consistent”, Shirer said. But to the filmmakers, it evokes the sound of cash registers ringing up higher and higher sales. More critics came to know of this, as the movie War Room made a whopping $11 million dollars debut last week.

It’s an impressive showing, having beaten out other blockbusters like “Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation” and the widely promoted newcomer “No Escape“.

The studio has expanded the number of screens the film is playing on from 1,100 screens to over 1,500 for the film’s second weekend. It did so despite a rather small $3.4 million budget, and virtual absence of mainstream marketing. “Our weekday numbers have surpassed previous Kendrick Brothers films and suggest the momentum will continue into the second frame”, said Ben Howard, Senior VP of Provident Films. “I recommend it to everyone”.

Hollywood insiders responded with shock to War Room’s solid presentation, however a commentator for Forbes magazine says the business ought to have known up and down that it was an ensured hit, and that all makers and pundits need to do is remove their against religious blinders keeping in mind the end goal to rehash the achievement of War Room, again and again. “We just want to tell it from a positive vantage point”, Alex Kendrick said.

Interestingly enough, making a movie about prayer can be very hard.

“They’re astonished this worked”, Alex Kendrick said.

“That night at church after church is dismissed, they go to find her to give her the money for the collection and they can’t find Granny”, Holt said. About 7 in 10 Americans identify as Christian, though that proportion has shrunk in recent years, according to the Pew Research Center. With its 37,000 members, it clearly wields influence.

Mooresville actress Karen Abercrombie, who landed the key role of Miss Clara, an elderly religious warrior who reaches out to Elizabeth, said that that diversity reinforces the film’s message. Their opinions were sought afterward, and ended up influencing the film’s release and marketing.

The Kendrick brothers also wrote a “War Room” Bible-study guide that can be downloaded or purchased.

“Critics in Hollywood are rough with us”, he told The Boston Herald. “Little Boy”, which some might argue is only peripherally a faith film, was another disappointment with weird intersecting plots that feel overly contrived.

“I’m pleased”, said Rev. Bernard, “that media that can be sometimes critical of the faith community is really taking the time and effort to look at what’s happening spiritually and socially in our society”.

What do you do when you’re a distributor and you have a surprise box office hit film during its opening weekend?

“War Room is an awesome movie that everybody ought to see”.