"Anti-faith? Anti-profits." By: Steven Ivey

As a new father, it will surprise few people when I say that I no longer have much time for extra-curricular activities.  My wife and I don’t get out to eat very often, we haven’t hit a premiere in ages and in the last year we’ve seen precisely three movies in an actual movie theater.  Movies “on demand” are our new normal.

Last Saturday, we finally managed to watch a movie that we had been sorry that we missed in the theaters:  “Paul”.  A movie about two British comic-book geeks who encounter a real-life alien outside of area 51.  Written by and starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead) and directed by Greg Mottola (Superbad), we figured this movie was a sure-fire belly-laugh session.

Sadly, we were mistaken.  The premise wore thin rather quickly.  The jokes were obvious and forced.  And about a third of the way through this unfunny film we were also blindsided by an escalating series of anti-Christian and anti-Conservative rhetoric.  (To be fair, as the alien character points out, it’s rhetoric not just against Christianity, but against Judaism and Islam as well).  I don’t have time go into detail, but suffice it to say that the movie smugly insinuated that religion would be wiped away in an instant by simply giving imparting some “advanced knowledge” on the poor hillbillies who just weren’t as “educated” as our heroes….

Hmmm…..The problem is that the majority of people in the United States, the largest single theatrical film market, identify themselves as religious.  Funny how Hollywood markets a film to approximately 300 million potential filmgoers, then slaps 80% of them in the face when they actually purchase a ticket. 

Here are some basic statistics, based on data from a 2008 large-scale nationwide survey:

US population who consider themselves “Christian” (Protestant, Catholic and “Other Christian” denominations):  76%

US population who consider themselves Jewish:  1.2%

US population who consider themselves Muslim:  .6%

US population who label themselves as Buddhist, Hindu or other religions:  2.0%

US population who do label themselves as Atheist/Agnostic/no religion:  15%

US population who were undecided or did not reply:  5.2%

So when a movie espouses that anyone who believes in an Abrahamic religion is deluded, it is potentially alienating (no pun intended) almost 78% of the domestic US market.  Not the smartest way to attract business.  Smart business leaders cater their product to suit their core market.  When McDonald’s set up shop in India, it eliminated beef from its menu.  Instead of offending the largest segment of India’s population, it made provisions by only having chicken, fish and veggie items on its menu.  Voila!  Profits.

So how did “Paul” do?  In the USA, it was a resounding thud.  The $40M film opened in 5^th place, losing the box-office race to Limitless, the 2^nd week of the lackluster Battle L.A., the 3^rd week of Rango and the under-performing Lincoln Lawyer.  I’m sure pundits will point out that with $96M in worldwide gross it still managed to eke out a little money from the theatrical release, and even more when accounting for ancillary markets.  But let me hit you with some other numbers:

The Blind Side:  Pro-Christian themes.  $29M budget.  USA Gross:  $256M.  Worldwide gross:  $294M.  On an international level, Paul made more than The Blind Side.  But if you’re a studio head, which movie would you rather have on your books?

“That’s not a fair comparison!”, you say.  “The Blind Side was a good film and Paul was just kind of lame!”  Too true.  Let’s look at some more equal examples, then:

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe:  Wide release.  Very Pro-religious themes.  Only one viable movie star (Liam Neeson, who only provided a voice). Based on a best-selling series of books.  Budget:  $180M.  USA Gross:  $291M.  Worldwide Gross:  $738M

The Golden Compass:  Wide release.  Very anti-religious themes.  Two bankable movie stars (Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig), plus an all-star supporting cast including Ian McKellen, Eva Green, Ian McShane, Derek Jacobi, Sam Elliott, Kristin Scott Thomas, Christopher Lee and Kathy Bates.  Also based on a best-selling series of books.  Budget:  $180M.  USA Gross:  $70M.  Worldwide Gross:  $364M.

Question to all studio execs:  Which of the above would you rather have on your balance sheets?

Saved!:  Scathing satire of Christian fundamentalists.  Released on less than 1,000 screens.  Starring Mandy Moore, who had somewhat of a following because of her music and acting career.  Budget: $5M.  USA Gross: $8.7M.  Worldwide Gross: $9.1M

Fireproof:  Low-budget movie with strong Christian themes.  Released on less than 1,000 screens.  Starring Kirk Cameron, who is only remembered for being on “Growing Pains”.  Budget:  $1/2M.  USA Gross:  $33.5M.  The most profitable independent film of 2008.

Question to all independent film producers:  Which of the above would you rather have produced?

Question:  Adjusting for inflation, how many of the top 20 all-time highest-grossing films feature religious themes/characters?  Answer:  6    Question:  How many films with anti-religious themes made the list?  Answer:  0

So, Hollywood producers:  Next time you find yourself pressured to come up with a viable hit, sift through your stack of scripts….and remind yourself that maybe you just need a little faith.

Stephen Ivey is a political independent who holds a MFA from UC-Irvine, a Bachelor's degree in Business/Economics from Westminster College and has been a guest lecturer at Colleges and Universities across the United States.  He currently represents actors and writers at Kramer Management in Los Angeles, with a client roster that includes an Emmy Award-winning writer and a Golden Globe Award-Winning actor.