Fox to Offer Films for Christian Viewers
LOS ANGELES -- The home-video division of Twentieth Century Fox said Tuesday it will acquire as many as a dozen family friendly movies a year and market them under the FoxFaith banner.
With budgets of less than $5 million each, the films will be aimed at the same Christian audiences that helped boost box-office receipts for such films as "The Passion of the Christ" and "The Chronicles of Narnia."
"We saw the opportunity to fill the needs of an underserved marketplace," said Steve Feldstein, senior vice president of marketing at Fox Home Video.
"All of this programming is entertainment first. We're not in the business of proselytizing or preaching," he said.
The studio said last year it was forming the FoxFaith unit as part of a broader effort to reach audiences seeking family friendly films. Tuesday's announcement brought specific details.
FoxFaith could be successful if it concentrates on the home-video market rather than theatrical releases, which cost more to market and carry more risk, media analyst Harold Vogel said.
"My guess is that the real strategy is to build a DVD library," Vogel said. "Those are the kind of things that will sell steadily over many years."
Fox passed on the chance to distribute Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" theatrically. But the studio did distribute the DVD after the film grossed more than $600 million worldwide at the box office.
After the success of "Passion," Hollywood studios made greater efforts to market family films to faith-based audiences. New Line, a division of Time Warner Inc., is releasing the film "Nativity" in December. The film tells the story of Christ's birth.
Several studios have hired specialized firms to market their films directly to churches.
Fox has developed a network of 90,000 churches it will use to help market its FoxFaith films.
From the Washington Post.
Fox Faith
Fox Faith Movies
With budgets of less than $5 million each, the films will be aimed at the same Christian audiences that helped boost box-office receipts for such films as "The Passion of the Christ" and "The Chronicles of Narnia."
"We saw the opportunity to fill the needs of an underserved marketplace," said Steve Feldstein, senior vice president of marketing at Fox Home Video.
"All of this programming is entertainment first. We're not in the business of proselytizing or preaching," he said.
The studio said last year it was forming the FoxFaith unit as part of a broader effort to reach audiences seeking family friendly films. Tuesday's announcement brought specific details.
FoxFaith could be successful if it concentrates on the home-video market rather than theatrical releases, which cost more to market and carry more risk, media analyst Harold Vogel said.
"My guess is that the real strategy is to build a DVD library," Vogel said. "Those are the kind of things that will sell steadily over many years."
Fox passed on the chance to distribute Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" theatrically. But the studio did distribute the DVD after the film grossed more than $600 million worldwide at the box office.
After the success of "Passion," Hollywood studios made greater efforts to market family films to faith-based audiences. New Line, a division of Time Warner Inc., is releasing the film "Nativity" in December. The film tells the story of Christ's birth.
Several studios have hired specialized firms to market their films directly to churches.
Fox has developed a network of 90,000 churches it will use to help market its FoxFaith films.
From the Washington Post.
Fox Faith
Fox Faith Movies
posted by WESLEY at 08:49
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