{"id":1423,"date":"2007-08-08T10:05:00","date_gmt":"2007-08-08T10:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/filmchat\/2007\/08\/evan-almighty-still-sinking-now-overseas\/"},"modified":"2007-08-08T10:05:00","modified_gmt":"2007-08-08T10:05:00","slug":"evan-almighty-still-sinking-now-overseas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/filmchat\/2007\/08\/evan-almighty-still-sinking-now-overseas.html","title":{"rendered":"Evan Almighty — still sinking, now overseas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"<\/a>
Having flopped in North America, it is time for Evan Almighty<\/a><\/i> to flop overseas. I mentioned earlier that the film\u2019s Japanese release had been cancelled altogether<\/a>. Now it is playing in Great Britain.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Guardian<\/a><\/i> reports that the distributor went after the religious market in England as aggressively as they did here:<\/p>\n

Helping churches to exploit the faith-friendly content is Universal Pictures, which hired a specialist PR firm to target ministers, Christian publications and websites and promote different ways of using the film. Suggested angles are God: The Hollywood Years, charting the history of the deity on the silver screen, and Noah and 9\/11, a discussion of religious extremism.<\/p>\n

As part of this drive a dozen \u201cpriest screenings\u201d were held around Britain so that ministers were well prepared for the film\u2019s general release.<\/p>\n

The Rev David Birt, of Hill House parish, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, said: \u201cI\u2019ve encouraged my flock to see the film. It has interesting subjects \u2013 like whether we want a God who is judgmental \u2013 and I\u2019ve used it in two sermons already. Films about religion, especially Christianity, are generally devoid of humour \u2026 This is a feelgood film for Christian audiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some organisations have created multimedia resources based on the film, including an internet reality gameshow in which Big Brother meets the Bible and SMS polls asking people to vote on what kind of animal God would be.<\/p>\n

One publication, Christianity, changed its cover at the last minute after seeing a preview of the film and devoted a further 3,000 words to it inside, exploring discussion triggers and sermon themes such as salvation from impending judgment, stewardship of the Earth and spiritual discernment.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And did all the PR work in England any better than it did in North America? Apparently not, according to Variety<\/a><\/i>:<\/p>\n

In its first outing at a major Euro market, Universal\u2019s laffer \u201cEvan Almighty\u201d opened in fourth spot with a modest $2.3 million at 422 screens.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe opening was below expectations,\u201d said one London-based exhib, adding that \u201cit is the first summer event movie to disappoint.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Brit bookers remain generally upbeat about trade. \u201cThe industry was not relying on \u2018Evan Almighty\u2019 to deliver. The many other successes have more than compensated.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEvan Almighty\u201d received poor reviews from the Brit crix and was dealt another blow by the severe recent flooding in England. Bookers speculate that some auds might have not had the stomach for a pic about a flood \u2014 \u201ca bit too close to home,\u201d said one.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Incidentally, my British friend Matt Page reviewed<\/a> Evan Almighty<\/i> a couple weeks ago at his Bible Films Blog. Check it out.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Having flopped in North America, it is time for Evan Almighty to flop overseas. I mentioned earlier that the film\u2019s Japanese release had been cancelled altogether. Now it is playing in Great Britain. The Guardian reports that the distributor went after the religious market in England as aggressively as they did here: Helping churches to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1116,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nEvan Almighty -- still sinking, now overseas<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Having flopped in North America, it is time for Evan Almighty to flop overseas. 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