The Passion, Miracles from Heaven Help Light the Start of Holy Week
Two faith-based productions brought light and life to screens across America this weekend. Miracles from Heaven opened in movie theaters, while the live musical production The Passion aired on the small screen Sunday night, capturing the streets of New Orleans coming alive with a modern and musical retelling of the Passion of Jesus Christ.
The New Orleans event, hosted by Tyler Perry, and featuring Chris Daughtry, Trisha Yearwood and Seal, was broadcast live on Fox. Over 6.6 million people tuned in. While it did not draw the numbers Fox’s Grease Live did in January, it still bested Fox’s normal Sunday night line-up by over 150%, and did so against AMC’s wildly popular Walking Dead and the NCAA March Madness Tournament. What’s more, according to Variety, “ratings grew from start to finish.”
In this image released by Fox, Jencarlos Canela, background center, portrays Jesus in The Passion, a two-hour musical that aired March 20, 2016. The live telecast Sunday, hosted by Tyler Perry, drew 6.6 million viewers, according to the Nielsen ratings company. (Michael Becker/FOX via AP)
The story of Christ’s Passion was told through mostly secular songs, like Pontius Pilate singing “Mad World” or Mary belting “With Arms Open Wide.” The theme of the performance came in the form of a question Perry posed to the audience: “If Jesus walked into this city today, would we listen to Him, or just say ‘Hey Jesus — can we get a selfie?'”
The “city” in this case was New Orleans. Among the more stunning experiences was the sight of a growing crowd following an illuminated cross as it traveled from the SuperDome to the stage at Woldenberg Park. Residents of the Crescent City captured the procession, including the cross passing down Bourbon Street.
https://twitter.com/Lisatweets68/status/711731182505959424
Monday morning, Trisha Yearwood, who played Mary, the mother of Jesus, expressed her gratitude at being a part of this special event.
I woke up today feeling so blessed and grateful! Thank you for your heartfelt tweets last night xo #ThePassionLive pic.twitter.com/1UYarySJ20
— Trisha Yearwood (@trishayearwood) March 21, 2016
If you missed The Passion, you can watch it here. It will also soon be on Netflix worldwide.
Miracles from Heaven
Miracles from Heaven stars Jennifer Garner in the true story of a Texas mom whose faith is tested when her daughter is diagnosed with a deadly condition, only to experience a healing so instantaneous and unimaginable as to leave no question in their minds of God’s divine hand.
The movie was the 3rd biggest movie in America over the weekend, trailing only Disney’s animated smash Zootopia and the latest in the popular young adult Divergent series, Allegiant. The film has already brought in $18.5 million, far over its low $13 million budget. Once more, a faith-based film did better than studio projections.
Secular critics were split on the movie, though nearly unanimous in their praise of Jennifer Garner. New York Times critic Ken Jaworowksi called it “an unexpectedly effective tear-jerker,” at least up to a particular “eye-rolling scene near the end.” Peter T. Chattaway of Pathos wrote that “to its credit, Miracles from Heaven does offer a compelling portrait of a family coping with the stress of dealing with a rare disease.” Mike McGranaghan of Aisle Seat wrote, “If you want a meaningful Christian message, you’ll absolutely find one. If that’s not your cup of tea, you can still enjoy a really amazing feel-good story.”
Audiences, though, are giving Miracles from Heaven a resounding thumbs-up, with the film scoring an impressive 85% audience score at Rotten Tomatoes.com and an A+ CinemaScore. That’s the only A+ among the recent releases graded by the moviegoer polling site. The movie is also touching its star. Jennifer Garner has been openly expressing how playing real-life mom Christy Beam has encouraged her faith. Garner told Fox News, “I probably realized I needed to participate in it more and actually be reengaged and finding a church in my community instead of just going when I am home in West Virginia.”
Miracles from Heaven is expected to do good business through Easter. If you haven’t seen the movie, here’s an official trailer from Sony Pictures Entertainment.