I Can Only Imagine makes $17.1M in first weekend

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nice to see a Christian film doing well

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this is shocking? churches bus loads of people out to films like this. they always do pretty good numbers.

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The Christian audience is out there and if Hollywood is smart it will continue to pump Christian films out. The Passion of the Christ is still the highest grossing R rated film ever domestically.

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I wouldn't really put The Passion of the Christ into that niche "Christian film" sector. Passion had a much wider appeal.

There's a happy medium between "Christian" films like this one and others and traditionally Hollywood pictures.

The biggest thing I see that really turns me off of these kinds of films are just how sappy and hokey they are. There's no real edge to them and they usually have very poor production value.

That's what made Passion of the Christ so different and so successful, it was a real movie made by a generational type directing talent. Yes, it was financed independently, but Gibson is a true filmmaker.

Hacksaw Ridge is also similar. It has huge religious and Christian themes set and filmed how a big Hollywood movie should be. Others need to follow that formula, but the obvious problem exists... Even if some billionaire like the Koch Brothers or someone financed a huge "Christian" movie, getting a top flight director will be very hard due to Hollywood's anti conservative, anti religious disposition.

It really is

This movie doing well (in context) is not shocking at all. The production values, as represented by the trailer, looked pretty decent.

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And I never really liked the song either.

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Well, there' something inherently wrong with you then. Gotten sick of it? Absolutely. But never liked it? you must be a heathen.

But I agree with you 100%. Most "Christian" films are utter garbage. Low production quality, so-so (at best) acting... they just seem like you are watching a... well... budget production movie put out by a group of high schoolers or something. In my opinion. Facing the Giants wasn't horrible... if you went into it with the knowledge that it was, in fact, done by a church.

The Left Behind movies... well.. they tried, I guess... got a few decently heard of actors plus Lou Gossett, Jr. But they just seemed... off to me.

Same with "Christian" music. Pretty much all of it sucks. But then so does what passes as "country" music these days. Not the message, mind you, but the music.

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Well, there' something inherently wrong with you then. Gotten sick of it? Absolutely. But never liked it? you must be a heathen.

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There's a section of Christian music that I really like, Hillsong, All Sons & Daughters, Rend Collective, Tim Hughes, and then there's the generic stuff that's been worshipped forever, Third Day, Casting Crowns, Newsboys (that abomination that they are now) that I've never really cared for. The first time I heard it, ok, nice song and all, but it just took over everyone's playlist and radio station and I got enough of it.

Billy Corgan had a few statements on Christian music while back, basically telling a lot of artists to stop trying to be U2

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Still better than that garbage "Saving Christmas" movie made by Kirk Cameron

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Don't get me started on him. His heart's in the right place. I'll give him that.

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His heart's in the right place.

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Ehhhh...