The director behind “I Can Only Imagine,” the biggest faith-based movei of last year, has shared how the film used by God all over the world to bring people to Himself – even in China, where persecution remains severe.
“When a movie is a hit in America….it goes on global autopilot,” John Erwin explained at the recent National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Anaheim, California. “So all these countries around the world begin to pay you for the right to translate and distribute your movie. So, it’s the Gospel on for-profit autopilot.”
Erwin pointed out that in the same year that China actually restricted….Christianity and “Western” influences and religion. “I find it very interesting that in the same year that China actually restricted….Christianity, they paid for “I Can Only Imagine,” he said. “They paid for the right to tramslate it and distribute it to their people. That’s what happened in over 100 countries around the world with out films.”
Erwin explained that faith-based movies – especially those backed by an American audience – present an opportunity to spread the Gospel through the medium of film.
“What happen is, when you watch a movie in America, and you buy your ticket, and that movei becomes a hit, you’re pretty much guaranteed that 10 people around the world are going to see it on your behalf because of these incredible things called output deals,” he said.
“And in fact, there’s a lot of places around the world where you can do more in a movie theatre than you can do openly on the streets. It’s incredible how far the message gets.”
According to the movie’s summary, “I Can Only Imagine” is the “true story that follows the life of Bart Millard, lead singer of Chritian band MercyMe, whose father died of cancer and inspires him to write the mega-hit song, “I Can Only Imagine.” The story beautifully illustrates that nobody is ever too far from God’s love – or too far from an eternal home in Heaven.”
The Erwin brothers’ 2018 film grossed $85 million worldwide against a production budget of $7 million, becoming the fourth highest-grosising music biopic of all-time in the United States.
Following the film success, Andy and Jon Erwin announced the formation of a production venture called “Kingdom Studios,” which will work alongside Lionsgate to distribute well-produced faith-based movies into the mainstream. The brothers have four titles currently in the works, including “I Still Believe,” which will tell the story of Christian singer Jeremy Camp, who lost his wife to ovarian cancer less than a year after they married.
“We don’t want to build our own name, we want to build the Kingdom,” Erwin explained. “We want to tell stories that strategically brought people to the Gospel.”
Culled from Gospel Herald
