They are risen
Prophets and profits
AFTER “Noah”, the deluge? On Easter Sunday those who yearn for a biblical film are spoiled for choice. “Heaven is for Real” opens on April 16th. “Noah”, starring Russell Crowe, has already grossed around $85m in America and double that abroad. Three religious films released in 2014—“Noah”, “Son of God”, and “God’s Not Dead”—have done well at the box office, though not well enough to make the all-time top ten (see chart).
Some Christians complain when films like “Noah” go off-scripture, but others are happy to see holy tales given the Hollywood treatment. Church groups have been renting out cinemas to watch the films together.
In the 1950s biblical epics such as “The Ten Commandments” and “Ben Hur” enjoyed Babylonian budgets. In later decades Christian films had to start with only a few talents, and not many besides Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” earned miraculous returns. Nowadays, however, name recognition is all the rage, and Bible figures are better known even than Harry Potter. Later this year Fox will release “Exodus: Gods and Kings”, starring Christian Bale as Moses. Charlton Heston is a tough act to follow: “The Ten Commandments” is the most commercially successful religious film ever, when takings are adjusted for inflation. But sometimes you have to have faith.
This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline "They are risen"
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