'Left Behind: World At War' Coming to a Church Near You
The third movie based on the best selling book series seeks to revolutionize Christian film industry
Those interested in seeing Left Behind: World at War this fall will not find the movie showing at their local movie theater, but rather at their local church.
The third movie based on the best-selling Left Behind book series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, Left Behind: World at War, will be shown in over 200,000 churches nationwide during the Oct. 21 weekend only.
It has adopted the unique distribution strategy in order to, “tell [Hollywood that]…there is an audience who wants family-friendly faith-affirming films,” according to actor Kirk Cameron, who stars as journalist Buck Williams in the film.
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“In the 70’s and 80’s, before the days of VHS, 16MM church film nights were one of the greatest ways that churches could introduce non-believers to their church,” notes Cloud Ten’s co-CEO Peter Lalonde. “We want to revive that outreach.”
Lalonde’s understanding of the “church film night” outreach comes from experience, as his own relationship with Christ was opened up in 1983 when he went to a church to watch The Prodigal.
“It was a Thursday night and I was moved by the pastors’ brief message after the film,” recalls Lalonde. “I was back on Sunday … and the next Sunday. I became a believer the following Sunday and was a member of that church for eight years before relocating to another city.”
Along with having the benefit of an outreach opportunity, churches that participate in the showing of Left Behind: World at War will also be able to charge their own admission as well as keep 100% of all “box office” earnings, only paying Cloud Ten a nominal licensing fee based on their church’s size.
“Our goal is to provide churches, and other Christian venues, with a well-supported, turn-key event that allows them to both reach out to their community and raise funds for their local ministries instead of pouring it into theaters’ coffers,” says Lalonde’s brother and co-CEO Paul Lalonde. “Much like Mel did, we are going both within and outside the Hollywood system.”
Despite Cloud Ten’s minimal profit return on Left Behind: World at War’s theatrical debut, the film is the “biggest” that the company has produced in the Left Behind series, with the Lalondes having partnered with Sony Pictures on the project.
“When we went to Sony Pictures, we told them, ‘Look, we’re not the greatest filmmakers who ever lived, but we understand an audience that you don’t. You guys know how to make films better than we do, but if we can put our expertise together, we will see the birth of a true faith-based genre,’” says Peter.
“Collaborating with the creative team at Sony has provided a different level of expertise in everything from casting, the script, the visual effects and the overall feature film feel this film will have. Yet, the core gospel message remains squarely in our hands,” adds the picture’s producer, Andre van Heerden.
And it was exactly that “core gospel message” that attracted Academy Award winner Louis Gossett Jr., who plays U.S. President Gerald Fitzhugh, to the film.
“I was fortunate, blessed with success,” Gossett said, “but there were two people inside me – a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The guy out front was smiling, but the guy inside was still looking for something to make him happy. I couldn’t find it in alcohol or drugs or women. Like many people I was trying to find the answer in self-indulgence. That’s not where you find the answer. Then I came to a conscious contact with God. All the predictions in the Bible seem to be coming true. I wanted to be connected to a film that was making that statement.”
Joining Gossett in the film will be the familiar Left Behind cast of Kirk Cameron, Jessica Steen, Brad Johnson, Chelsea Noble, Arnold Pinnock, Janaya Stephens, and Nicolae Carpathia, who plays the Antichrist prophesied in the Bible.
With over 200 CGI shots, explosions and physical effects, Peter Lalonde hopes that Left Behind: World at War will move Christian filmmaking to the next level in quality.
“Christian-themed films have tended to be thinly disguised sermons. We’re trying to change that. It’s up to us [Christians] to make better films, more nuanced films,” says Peter. “A fair criticism of past Cloud Ten productions has been that we were guilty of the same thing as other Christian filmmakers. But we were establishing a core audience. It’s a process in the life of a production company. But if we can get Christian-based films a little less preachy, we’re going to subtly draw more people to the realization that we have a spiritual side and it needs to be paid attention to.”
For more information on Left Behind: World at War or to view the trailer for the film, go to www.leftbehind-worldatwar.com.
