Once dismissed as a niche market, Christian film is quietly moving into center stage at the box office. Examples abound of Christian productions reaching into wider audiences, as television and film projects focused on the life of Jesus, stories from the Bible, and edifying spiritual truths reach the homes—and hearts—of millions.
Just this year, “Testament: The Story of Moses” became Netflix’s most-watched show of the week in the United States and garnered 13.5 million views in the first five days of its release on Netflix in March 2024.
Just last weekend, “The Forge,” the latest faith-based production from the Kendrick Brothers, immediately landed at the fifth spot in the box office and outperformed several films with much higher production costs and gross revenues. What’s more, audiences gave the film a perfect A+ CinemaScore grade, a rare feat to accomplish. This achievement makes Kendrick one of only two directors in film history to earn this perfect score four times, joining fellow faith-based filmmaker Jon Erwin and surpassing renowned directors like Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis.
With this booming business frequently underreported, NRB members in Christian cinema explain the changing landscape of Christian film, its impact on audiences, and the challenges and opportunities it faces.
A rich history precedes the modern revival of Christian cinema. Dr. Ted Baehr, founder, chairman, publisher, and co-CEO of Movieguide®, says Christian films have been on the scene since the dawn of cinema at the turn of the twentieth century, and these early Christian films were produced by some of the pioneers of the cinematic art form. In the 1920s and ‘30s, Hollywood saw a proliferation of biblical epics as religious groups began using the new medium as a promotional and evangelistic tool.
“Early Hollywood honored biblical stories by weaving the truth of the Scriptures throughout the films they were making,” said Jennifer Stolo, CEO and producer at Robert Craig Films.
During this time, “the term ‘Bible epic’ and ‘blockbuster’ became synonymous,” Stolo said, with epics like The Ten Commandments becoming cultural touchstones in the mid-20th century.
The religious epic continued into the early 2000s. Stolo pointed to the 2004 release of The Passion of the Christ as reviving the faith-based film industry and leading into a new era for the market, with rapid developments in technology allowing for greater accessibility and viewability. However, some secular studios’ fictionalized or manipulated adaptations of biblical narratives created a distaste among Christian viewers for such projects for a time.
“The faith audience lost their interest in the bible narrative films, largely for the distrust of the major studios,” Stolo said. “Bible narratives are on the uprise thanks to new ventures. …Faith-based audiences are going to care for issues that the church should care about.”
Eventually, Christian films became more focused on serving a Christian market, Baehr said.
“In today’s world of faith-based films, the audience sees the films less as entertainment and more as ministry tools and ways to evangelize to unique audience groups,” Stolo concurs.
In the early 1990s, Movieguide® began releasing an annual report that analyzed all major theatrical releases and any films that grossed over $1 million in the United States and Canada.
“We found that movies with strong Christian worldviews and messages did better at the box office,” Baehr shared.
Movieguide® recognizes these films at their annual Movieguide® Awards Gala, which brings together Hollywood executives and Christian filmmakers. Their rigorous evaluation process involves a comprehensive set of 150 criteria, assessing elements such as dramatic quality, literary merit, worldview, theological accuracy, and family-friendliness. By applying these standards, Movieguide® aims to provide guidance on films that align with Christian beliefs and values.
“Although the number of people going to church has decreased, the number of people with Christian values going to movies has increased,” Baehr said.
Despite their growing success, Christian films still face challenges. Baehr highlights the difficulty of mastering box office success.
“Private financing often hinders Christian movies from being released in major…theatrical and streaming markets,” Baehr said.
NRB member Great American Pure Flix provides an example as one of the early pioneers in offering a dedicated streaming platform for faith-based content, helping to redefine the Christian film industry and contributing to their success as a leading player in the field.
With marketing and distribution accounting for over 60 percent of a film’s earnings, Baehr emphasizes a deeper understanding of these areas as crucial for greater success. Stolo notes that while the faith-based film industry shares many of the same challenges as mainstream cinema, unique hurdles arise when it comes to “access to audience, somewhat limited storytelling, and the pressure to uphold and maintain the accuracy and the authenticity of the Scriptures.”
While Christian directors typically aim to reach a faith-based audience, the specific demographics vary depending on genre. For instance, an apologetics film may attract a different audience than a faith-based sports drama.
“At its core the faith-based film audience are all believers,” Stolo said. “However, the audience can change depending on the content and what the story is representing.”
Yet while targeting Christian audiences, faith-based films aspire to make a larger cultural impact. Stolo believes stories can be powerful tools, and with theaters being one of the most “culturally defining spaces” in the world, Christian films have the potential to influence society.
“Having taught media literacy since the late 1970s, all of the research shows that movies influence social values and culture,” Baehr said.
Stolo believes the future of Christian cinema will be enhanced by collaboration with major online video platforms, enabling talented Christian creators to connect with a broader audience. Partnerships with bigger brands could be “a real win for faith movie fans that want to see more content developed at a higher quality,” she said, “allowing Christ-conscious, Christ-centered creatives to lead the charge.”
With its rich history and bright future, Christian video content is growing in impact and influence with viewers in every walk of life. To learn more and find resources about the growing world of Christian film, visit movieguide.org, tedbaehr.com, and robertcraigfilms.com.
Movieguide®, under the Christian Film & Television Commission, has been an NRB member since 1981. Robert Craig Films has been an NRB member since 2023.