Christian movies and movies based on situations from the Bible have always struggled in mainstream movie outlets. Whether peer pressure has played a role in keeping people out of movie theatres, or whether there isn’t as much interest in these types as in all the others, we may never know. However, there are some Christian movies that have defied the odds and done very well on the big screen.
Mel Gibson’s controversial film, The Passion of the Christ, rocked the box office, racking up nearly 371 million dollars. Released in 2004, it quickly became a worldwide hit, especially in America, even though it had English subtitles only. Portraying the Resurrection, it tells the story that sets Jesus apart from all other Gods, Kings and Healers. Jim Caviezel, who played the part of Christ, has spoken in various interviews about having to deal with hypothermia as well as his own humanity, which often drove him into prayer under the crushing physical and mental aspects of playing the part.
Coming in as a close second to The Passion, is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which took in just under 300 million when it was first released in 2005. To this day, it stands as the biggest total grossing film of the entire Narnia franchise. This is the story of four children who accidentally find a pathway in the back of a magical wardrobe and into a totally different world, known as Narnia. Throughout the movie, they are faced with many trials and tests of their character, and eventually learn their destiny from a mysterious lion that turns out to be a mirror of Christ Himself.
It seems fitting that the next largest grossing film would be the follow up to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Prince Caspian. This story picks up where the first movie left off, to continue the saga of Narnia, with the children returning to the magical land only to find it in more turmoil and distress. Again, the lion Aslann arrives, as the story unfolds once again for the children, who are eventually faced with the decision to either stay or leave the land of Narnia, either choice lasting forever.
There are many more movies that did very well in the box offices, but none quite as popular as these three. Older ones might be more endearing, but in this day and age, special effects and movie making techniques have won out.
