Paul KeenanFilm races to No.2 spot in US
Son of God, the film off-shoot of the recent television miniseries, The Bible, has raced to the No.2 slot in America after its first weekend on release.
Box office returns for the weekend of February 28 reveal that the film, starring Diogo Morgado as Jesus, scooped $26.5 million in that period. Only the latest Liam Neeson thriller, Non-Stop, performed better, taking in $30 million to reach the movie top spot.
Anticipated
Following the success of the History Channel series, The Bible (the most-watched programme in that channel’s history), the feature-length Son of God was eagerly anticipated stateside, with reports that Christian communities were block-booking local cinemas to make the viewing a community event.
Film producers Mark Burnett and wife Roma Downey, who also stars as Mary in the film, undertook a coast-to-coast tour to promote their film to communities.
Even media mogul Rupert Murdoch gave his public backing to the film, tweeting to his some half a million followers: “Be sure to see amazing and moving film.”
Son of God is the first in a series of religiously themed films to emerge from Hollywood in 2014. Both the biblical figures of Noah and Moses are the subjects of films this year. On March 28, Noah, starring Russell Crowe opens in Irish cinemas, while Exodus, with Christian Bale as Moses, will screen from December 12.
Son of God is scheduled for release in both Ireland and Britain in April.