Documentaries and films with strong appeal to identifiable affinity groups are ideal for cinema group sales, and “Son of God” is a case in point. The 20th Century Fox release appeals to faith-based audience, which is an intense affinity group.
Group sales started yesterday—three months before its Feb. 28, 2014, cinema premiere. The PG-13-rated movie is a period drama that tells the story of Jesus.
“Now, the larger-than-life story of Jesus gets a larger-than-life treatment in the stand-alone feature ‘Son of God,’ ” says a press release. “The film has been able to bring leaders together with support from across all denominations.”
Boxofficemojo.com lists 88 “Christian” films in its cinema database. Most are low grossers, though the top four are over $100 million in box office for the domestic market. While box office is mostly modest, these films are fairly inexpensive to market because their target audience is easy to reach via low cost publicity.
“Another affinity segment is religious groups, particularly Christian because it is so large, though only suitable for uplifting films that match Christian values,” says the third edition of “Marketing to Moviegoers.” “An appeal to film marketers is that churches and Christian groups are easy to identify for targeted marketing, and religious leaders are looking for popular culture to recommend to their congregations.”
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