'HIGH-PROFILE' FILMS BROTHERS CHANGING MOVIE BUSINESS.Byline: Greg Hernandez Staff Writer It might seem odd for Christian-oriented moviemakers to strive to be unorthodox, but Cloud Ten Pictures plays by a different set of rules making and marketing faith-based films, including this month's release of ``Left Behind II: Tribulation Force.'' The Canadian film company is releasing the Christian action-adventure on home video Oct. 27, then two months later in theaters. The unorthodox release strategy was used to great success two years ago, when the first ``Left Behind'' film came out on home video, stunning the entertainment industry with its runaway sales and receiving widespread attention as the first movie to have a theatrical run after its video debut. Expectations are even higher this time around as Cloud Ten aims to increase its profile in Hollywood and capitalize on Cap´i`tal`ize on` v. t. 1. To turn (an opportunity) to one's advantage; to take advantage of (a situation); to profit from; as, to capitalize on an opponent's mistakes s>. what the company believes has been a largely ignored, but very ripe market for Christian films. ``There's a point of view of 80 million Americans out there that really isn't being represented, so I think it's a wide-open market,'' said Cloud Ten's Peter Lalonde Peter Lalonde is the Director of Sales & Services at Corel Corporation. Prior to his current role at Corel, Peter Lalonde held a series of positions for some of the worlds best technology companies such as Interleaf, IBM and Open Text. . ``It's happened to the music business, where Christian music Christian music is music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding the Christian life, as well as (in terms of contemporary music) to give a Christian alternative to main stream secular music. is now a billion-dollar industry. The same thing in the publishing world.'' The timing for the the second film in the ``Left Behind'' series comes on the heels of strong box office returns for the faith-based animated film ``Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie'' from Artisan Films. The film grossed $6.2 million when it opened last weekend, a particularly impressive performance since the movie was on just 940 screens and many tickets were purchased by children at matinee mat·i·nee or mat·i·née n. An entertainment, such as a dramatic performance or movie, presented in the daytime, usually in the afternoon. prices. Its success has led to the expansion this weekend on 210 additional screens, with more planned later. ``Everyone thinks you have to go tremendously wide to make a profit,'' said Robert Bucksbaum, president of Reel Source Inc., a box office consulting firm Noun 1. consulting firm - a firm of experts providing professional advice to an organization for a fee consulting company business firm, firm, house - the members of a business organization that owns or operates one or more establishments; "he worked for a . ``I think it will be the No. 1 highest-grossing Christian movie ever. It's going to open up a new market, too.'' This is a belief shared by Lalonde and his brother, Paul, who are co- chief executive officers of Cloud Ten. The pair spent part of last week in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. taking meetings with various studios seeking a business partner in their Christian venture. ``We believe we are the bridge between that world and this world, because we understand both the worlds,'' said Peter Lalonde, who is the company's main spokesman. ``I think for one of the studios that is willing to jump into this and put some capital into it and work with people who understand it, they can create a whole new genre.'' Both ``Left Behind'' films cost about $17 million each to produce and market. They are based on a series of best-selling novels based on a fundamentalist fundamentalist An investor who selects securities to buy and sell on the basis of fundamental analysis. Compare technician. interpretation of the book of Revelations in the Bible. ``The competition is so slim that we don't have to make $80 million movies to compete; we don't have to open nationally to build brand awareness,'' Lalonde said. When the Christian-themed ``The Omega Code'' opened in 1999, it was a modest hit. The Providence Entertainment release grossed $12.6 million at the box office and was proof of the core audiences' hunger for such fare. The next year, ``Left Behind,'' starring Kirk Cameron Kirk Thomas Cameron (born October 12, 1970) is an American actor, director, and Christian evangelist who is perhaps most notable for his role as "Mike Seaver" on the sitcom Growing Pains. , was released, topped the Amazon.com sales charts for four consecutive weeks and flew off the shelves of such retailers as Wal-Mart, Costco and Best Buy. The unorthodox theatrical release of ``Left Behind'' that followed gave a second wave to the video sales and helped to get better placement in the video stores, which were initially a bit dubious about the movie's prospects. ``It was a lot of 'Who are you guys and what is this genre you're talking about?''' Lalonde recalled. ``This time, we have every major retailer and every minor one. Anywhere that you can get a studio movie, you can get 'Tribulation Force.''' By the time the first ``Left Behind'' hit, Cloud Ten had already released a string of direct-to-video movies featuring such stars as Burt Reynolds Burt Reynolds (born February 11, 1936) is an Oscar-nominated Emmy Award-winning American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Paul Crewe in the original version of The Longest Yard, Bo 'Bandit' Darville in , Louis Gossett Jr., Judd Nelson Judd Asher Nelson (born November 28, 1959) is an American actor and writer. He is perhaps best known for playing the rebellious John Bender in the 1985 cult classic The Breakfast Club. , Corbin Bernsen Corbin Dean Bernsen (born September 7, 1954) is an American actor, known for his work on television. His greatest fame came from his role of Arnold Becker on L.A. Law during the late 1980s and early 1990s,[1] , Richard Thomas Richard Thomas is the name of:
Mr. T (legally changed his name from Laurence Tureaud), (born on May 21 1952), is an iconic actor known for his roles as Sgt. "B. A. . ``It was really grass-roots marketing to the talent side of getting the word around and creating good scripts,'' Lalonde said. ``The more these movies are becoming mainstream, the more and more comfortable people are becoming in playing them.'' The actors do not have to be of Christian faith, but Cameron, the star of both ``Left Behind'' films, has been open about his beliefs since starring in the sitcom ``Growing Pains grow·ing pains pl.n. Pains in the limbs and joints of children or adolescents, frequently occurring at night and often attributed to rapid growth but arising from various unrelated causes. .'' ``We've been very lucky in the 'Left Behind' series because Kirk Cameron is a very passionate and committed Christian,'' Lalonde said. ``It's a different level of publicity and actor support that you get. It really gives it a nice marketing lift.'' CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Brothers Paul, left, and Peter Lalonde, are the founders of the Christian-based Cloud Ten Pictures. David Sprague/Staff Photographer (2 -- color) Clarence Gilyard stars as Pastor Barnes, preaching to people desperate for answers in ``Left Behind II: Tribulation Force.'' Ken Woroner/Cloud Ten Pictures |
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