Christian Film 'War Room' Makes $11 Million in Opening Weekend

Veronica Neffinger | iBelieve Contributor | Updated: Aug 31, 2015

Christian Film 'War Room' Makes $11 Million in Opening Weekend

The Christian film “War Room” has made $11 this past weekend in its opening debut, a record for filmmakers Alex and Stephen Kendrick.

The film, which critics say has a compelling story and focuses on the power of prayer, is the first of the Kendrick’s films to star African-Americans in the leading roles.

"When we started writing out the plot, it occurred to us that this movie would be more powerful or passionate as told from an African-American perspective,” Alex Kendrick stated. "The African-American church is more visceral, they are more expressive and there is a powerful passion to their prayers."

“War Room” was surpassed in sales by the film “Straight Outta Compton,” although “War Room" only played in 1,135 theatres nationwide, while “Straight Outta compton played in 3,142, according to the Christian Post.

The Kendrick brothers have produced four other faith-based films: “Flywheel,” “Facing the Giants,” “Fireproof,” and “Courageous,” but “War Room" has surpassed them all in terms of profit.

Stephen Kendrick attributed the film’s success to God’s blessings and answer to prayer.

“God totally gets the credit for what's happening. Thousands of people have been praying for this movie. With all of our inadequacy, God keeps taking what is said to be impossible and makes it undeniable. We are so grateful."

Michael Foust, Christian film critic and writer, stated that the Kendrick brothers know how important a good story is for a film.

"[The Kendricks] know how to make a great movie because they know that story is king. They also get it because they're always working to improve their craft. They're well aware of the 'cheesy' label many moviegoers have placed on Christian films, and they understand that even before their next movie hits theaters, a large segment of the Hollywood population already has written it off."

The Kendrick brothers have also written a book on prayer titled The Battle Plan for Prayer: From Basic Training to Targeted Strategies which was inspired by “War Room.”

Publication date: August 31, 2015



Christian Film 'War Room' Makes $11 Million in Opening Weekend