Son Of God: Rejected By Critics, Embraced By The People

The Son Of God and Hollywood – these are not two concepts generally thought of together, but this weekend the Son Of God movie is set to open on more than 3,000 screens nationwide. And it looks to be a Hollywood Blockbuster!

Not surprisingly, the NY Post calls it “cheesy,” and a critic at the NY Daily News proclaims it “weak,” but then again, when have the critics ever embraced the Son of God? I think what WILL be surprising to Hollywood and the intellectual elite is the explosion of support, that translates into big money, which will be seen on opening weekend and beyond.

According to Breitbart News, the internal tracking service of the theater industry, MTC, projects that Son Of God will bring in more than $22.5 million this week, sending shock waves through Tinseltown.

Hollywood has long had a history of telling producers that “you can’t do it like that,” pushing the extremes of morality and violence and shock, while rejecting the very values of the majority of the people who watch their movies. Middle America LIKES Jesus, the Son of God! The common man loves family, and Jane Everyday values morality. God is important to people. And the powers that be behind the money and glitz and influence simply do not comprehend that.

Brad Silverman is the director of Movieguide’s #1 Inspirational Film of the Year Grace Unplugged, which beat out movies like Man of Steel and 42 for the honor. He was told by Hollywood elite that having the two words “Jesus Christ” in the movie would destroy it at the box office. The word ‘God’ is acceptable, but not the name of Jesus, His Son, unless used as a curse word. But the moviegoers obviously did not agree, propelling it far beyond the projections of conventional wisdom!

Christian films like Courageous and Fireproof have proven very successful. And then there was the October surprise – October Baby, a groundbreaking faith-based movie that tackled the impact of abortion head-on, telling the world that there is such a thing as an abortion survivor, and opening the door for people to come out of the closet about their abortions. The impact of that single movie has sent shockwaves through the world, and God has used that film not just to entertain, but to dramatically change lives.The directors, Jon and Andrew Erwin, were told repeatedly that they were biting off more than they could chew, and it would never work. They didn’t listen, believing God had called them to do the project. And the film deeply resonated with people from all walks of life, and it was rewarded with great dividends at the box office.

The huge success of films that dare acknowledge the role of God in everyday life is changing the paradigm of what was once thought to be acceptable movie topics. Julie Fairchild, the Erwin Brothers’ publicist, told me that she believes we will begin to see “organic faith in films of lots of genres.” Filmmakers are moving away from unflattering caricatures of flaky Christians toward realistic portrayals of heroes and average people alike who simply love God and include Jesus in everyday life.

The Son Of God movie promises to be extremely successful. Roma Downey and her husband Mark Burnett produced the film without any A-list stars, following the success of the TV miniseries The Bible. No big superhunks or superstars except the one who is the focus of the movie, Jesus, and that is what is compelling normal, everyday people to flock to the theaters, to see their faith in the real Son of God come to life on the big screen.

I cannot wait to see Son Of God. The trailer gives me chills!