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Reviews of and news articles about
Richard Dutcher's film

God's Army (2000)
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"God's Army" accurate, most effective media tool ever for spreading gospel

Source: NewsNet @ BYU
URL: http://newsnet.byu.edu/noframes/show_story.cfm?number=8395&year=current
Alt. URL: http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~sstewart/ga/BYUNewsEdmundsArticle.htm
Reviewed by: Clark Edmunds, a junior from Columbia, Md., majoring in film directing
Date: 13 March 2000

I am a film major and a returned missionary. I know a lot about film, church film and propaganda. Everyone's mission is different depending on age, testimony, sex and place of service. I served in San Diego, and "God's Army" is such an accurate depiction of my missionary life it could have been a documentary. Every event in the film parallels one of my own experiences. The "misfit cast" could have been any one of my districts, and they were all good missionaries -- just human missionaries. I was not offended once.

Worried about cheapening your missionary experience? The mistakes elders make do that -- this film doesn't. "God's Army" shows the irony of young men trying to understand the world and themselves while teaching truth (the gospel and church are depicted as truth). It bothers some members to let on that we are real people with struggles and feelings, but the time for that revelation has come. Seeing this movie will force people to think before slamming the door in our faces because they cannot see our humanity.

Worried about mixing sacred things with the world? That's what missionary work is, being in the world but not of it. That's what the film depicted. Also,the "offensive alternative music" Dutcher scored the film with is by Greg Simpson, an LDS artist who I listened to in the mission field.

Worried about casting pearls before swine? Our 50,000+ missionaries do that everyday -- the principle is that not all seeds fall on stony ground. This film can plant seeds on an unprecedented scale. It can enter nations and hearts that the elders can't. Worried about feeling uncomfortable? The priesthood blessing in Legacy didn't seem to bother anyone. Do you remember when Joseph Smith is introduced to Eliza and asks, "Do you have faith to be healed? Do you believe in Jesus Christ?" Neither of those actors were members of the church. You want to talk about offensive? The priesthood blessing scene in "God's Army" didn't even make me uncomfortable compared to that.

People don't realize what a step the film is. Our prophet is constantly telling the LDS artists to stop floundering in mediocrity. Richard Dutcher wrote, produced, directed and starred in a film that will possibly never see an ounce of commercial success. That means that he personally raised tens of thousands of dollars and devoted his life and soul to the project for years. You want to talk about consecration? Now that he's done it, some still want to ostracize him.

"God's Army" is easily the most effective media tool for spreading the gospel that has ever existed. Richard Dutcher is going to be blessed no matter how the rest of the LDS community reacts. The only thing that remains to be seen is whether we'll use it to its potential, or put the bushel back on our candle. The film is a veritable weapon for missionaries, sugar-coated for public consumption. I go to church every week, and I have seldom felt the spirit stronger than sitting in that theater since I was released as a full time elder two years ago.


LDS moviegoers may give 'God's Army' a boost

Source: Deseret News
URL: http://deseretnews.com:80/dn/view/0,1249,155008664,00.html?
Reviewed by: Chris Hicks, Deseret News movie critic
Date: Friday, March 10, 2000

      In "Goodbye Lover," a film-noir thriller with too many plot twists for its own good, Patricia Arquette plays a femme fatale whose double-dealings end in multiple murder, and Ellen DeGeneres is the foul-mouthed, hard-bitten police detective on the case.
      The film, which played in theaters a year ago, is typical half-baked Hollywood trash, but notable as part of an unusually large string of movies and TV shows over an approximate two-year period that featured Mormon characters or made comments about Mormons . . . generally in less-than-flattering terms.
      In "Goodbye Lover," DeGeneres constantly belittles her doofus partner, a Salt Lake Mormon (Ray McKinnon), whom she alternately refers to as "Brigham Young," "John Paul," "Barney Fife," "Mr. Rogers" and several names that can't be printed in a family newspaper.
      In addition, there are hypocritical Mormons in "SLC Punk" and the straight-to-video "Heaven or Vegas," two made-in-Utah pictures; Mormonism and its missionary program are slammed in "Orgazmo"; Robert Downey Jr. and Heather Graham make polygamy jokes in "Two Girls and a Guy." And Mormons are the subject of simple-minded gags in "Rage," a straight-to-video thriller with Gary Busey; the Disney Channel's "Brink!"; and the off-the-wall "Godfather" spoof, "Mafia!"
      Meanwhile, TV sitcoms "The Simpsons" and "The Hughleys" made Mormon jokes, while "Frasier" featured a goody-goody LDS character who just wasn't ruthless enough to be a good show-biz agent. And "Walker, Texas Ranger" had a flashback episode with Chuck Norris rescuing a Mormon wagon train from bad guys.
      And that's just circa 1998-99!
      Using Mormons as fodder for cinematic ridicule actually goes back to the silent era, of course. But what we've never seen in the movies is Mormons shown as real, everyday, down-to-earth people.
      Until now.
      "God's Army," which opened today, is an attempt to give a human dimension to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It's a fictional drama (with liberal amounts of comedy) about the Mormon missionary program at work in Los Angeles.
      Filmmaker/co-star Richard Dutcher says he intended to make a Mormon movie that could be embraced as universally as such Jewish-oriented cinema as "Fiddler on the Roof" (his example). But that seems unlikely. "God's Army" is very inside, and people who are not members of the LDS Church, or who are unfamiliar with Mormon culture, are not likely to understand a lot of it.
      From the get-go, setting the entire movie within the two-year missionary program, with its emphasis on young men and women devoting two years of their lives to proselyting, is atypical of the lifestyle of day-to-day LDS Church membership at large. In fact, it would be easy to conclude from this film that new members are baptized only in natural waters (in this case, the Pacific Ocean) and that they never have to go to church.
      On the other hand, "God's Army" would seem a natural to be embraced by the LDS audience . . . which, these days, is no small potatoes. The church members depicted here are human, warm, bright and funny. And though a number of big issues are raised, such as blacks being denied the LDS priesthood for many years, they are handled thoughtfully and tastefully.
      And though there are a few too many soap-opera endings to be tied up in the final moments, the film is well-paced, the characters are rich and Dutcher lets his sense of humor shine through.
      Technically, the film is also quite solid, but perhaps most surprisingly for an effort this small, even the acting is first-rate.
      Is "God's Army" going to change Hollywood's stereotypical image of Mormons?
      Of course not. (Take Rodney Dangerfield's upcoming "My Five Wives" . . . please.)
      Should LDS people see the film and make it a success, so that more will follow?
      Absolutely.


Four Days After First Screening, 'God's Army' Conquers Utah Movie Box Office

Source: Salt Lake Tribune
URL: http://www.sltrib.com:80/2000/mar/03152000/business/33726.htm
By: Sean P. Means
Date: 15 March 2000

    "God's Army," the Mormon missionary movie, wowed 'em in Utah theaters in its opening weekend -- with only the super-hyped "Mission to Mars" earning more per screen.
    "God's Army" earned $88,584 in its first three days of release in 12 theaters in Salt Lake, Utah and Davis counties, for a per-screen average of $7,382. That is just below the $7,484 that "Mission to Mars" made per screen -- which, on 3,054 screens nationwide, brought its total to $22,855,247. The only other films to score higher per-screen averages are IMAX-filmed movies in specialty theaters.
    Add Monday's take, and the four-day box-office for "God's Army" is $117,860 -- or $9,821 per screen -- eclipsing "Mission to Mars," according to Richard Dutcher, writer, producer, director and one of the stars of "God's Army."
    "It feels great that the audience we made the movie for is embracing it," Dutcher said.
    The box-office success is accelerating the movie's release schedule, Dutcher said. The movie will expand to 18 Utah screens this Friday, including Cedar City, St. George, Layton, Ogden and Logan. And plans to release the movie in Los Angeles and Las Vegas in April are moving faster, too.
    "We're getting some attention from L.A.," Dutcher said, noting that several studios called him after seeing "God's Army" ranked 44th in the box-office charts in The Hollywood Reporter.
    Dutcher said word-of-mouth among Mormons could ensure the film's success outside Utah.
    "People are walking out of the theater right now and saying, 'I've got to get my non-Mormon friends and family to see this,' '' Dutcher said. "The niche community is going to reach out and pull in the audience outside the niche.''
    Dutcher is less concerned about a crossover audience. "This is a movie for the Mormon community,'' he said. "Even if only the LDS community supports it, it's legitimate and successful, and it will let us make more movies.''
    But Dutcher's missionaries face a formidable opponent in next week's box-office race: Julia Roberts, starring in the much-anticipated "Erin Brockovich.'' Dutcher claimed he is not worried by a face-to-face match-up with America's movie sweetheart. "We'll kick her butt,'' he joked.
    "God's Army" is a drama about a fresh-off-the-bus Kansas boy (Matthew Brown) experiencing life in the Los Angeles LDS mission, tutored by a hard-nosed companion, played by Dutcher.


God's Army Ranked 2nd Among Feature Films in Per Screen Box Office Receipts

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Following are final data for the top 60 movies at the North American box office during the March 17-19 weekend.
URL: http://news.excite.com/news/r/000320/23/film-weekend
Date: 20 March 2000

film title (studio)per-screen averagenumber of screens
this weekend
days in release.
Fantasia 2000 (Buena Vista) $28,760 54 79
Galapagos (Imax) 16,872 5 145
Island of the Sharks (Imax) 12,704 6 332
Erin Brockovich (Universal) 9,880 2,848 3
Mysteries of Egypt (Destination) 9,168 19 593
God's Army (Zion) 6,425 18 10
Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai (Artisan) 6,162 71 17
T-Rex: Back to the Cretaceous (Imax) 5,999 8 514
Final Destination (New Line) 3,872 2,587 3

(Fantasia 2000, Galapagos, Island of the Sharks, Mysteries of Egypt, and T-Rex: Back to the Cretaceous are all specialty-theatre films, in large IMAX format, not regular feature films.)


Comparing "God's Army" only with films as recent or more recently released

(More recently released films are more likely to have similar per-screen box office takes. Long-released feature films will have had audiences taper off, and aren't necessarily directly comparable.)

rankrank last
weekend
film title (studio)weekend grosspercentage change
(vs. week-ago)
per-screen averagenumber of screens
this weekend
number of screens
last weekend
cumulative grossdays in release
1 -- Erin Brockovich (Universal) $28,138,465 -- $9,880 2,848 -- $28,138,465 3
38 44 God's Army (Zion) 115,642 +31% 6,425 18 12 274,942 10
3 -- Final Destination (New Line) 10,015,822 -- 3,872 2,587 -- 10,015,822 3
2 1 Mission to Mars (Buena Vista) 11,385,709 -50% 3,721 3,060 3,054 40,612,440 10
19 -- Beyond the Mat (Lions Gate) 966,016 -- 3,242 298 -- 1,003,143 10
5 2 The Ninth Gate (Artisan) 3,531,618 -47% 2,131 1,657 1,586 12,534,261 10



Full data set for North American box office, March 17-19 weekend

rankrank last weekendfilm title (studio)weekend grosspercentage change (vs. week-ago)per-screen averagenumber of screens this weekendnumber of screens last weekendcumulative grossdays in release.
1 -- Erin Brockovich (Universal) $28,138,465 -- $9,880 2,848 -- $28,138,465 3
2 1 Mission to Mars (Buena Vista) 11,385,709 -50% 3,721 3,060 3,054 40,612,440 10
3 -- Final Destination (New Line) 10,015,822 -- 3,872 2,587 -- 10,015,822 3
4 3 My Dog Skip (Warner Bros.) 5,268,241 -13% 2,260 2,331 2,331 21,575,816 68
5 2 The Ninth Gate (Artisan) 3,531,618 -47% 2,131 1,657 1,586 12,534,261 10
6 4 The Whole Nine Yards (Warner Bros.) 3,274,453 -41% 1,308 2,503 2,672 51,071,108 31
7 5 American Beauty (DreamWorks) 3,159,322 -14% 1,902 1,661 1,522 103,007,991 187
8 6 The Cider House Rules (Miramax) 2,477,000 -29% 1,425 1,738 1,704 45,778,857 101
9 9 Snow Day (Paramount) 2,205,015 -31% 924 2,387 2,672 56,398,194 38
10 13 The Tigger Movie (Buena Vista) 1,771,853 -28% 1,042 1,701 2,093 41,597,384 38
11 7 Drowning Mona (Destination Films) 1,727,680 -49% 1,014 1,704 1,981 13,579,577 17
12 8 The Next Best Thing (Paramount) 1,652,564 -51% 812 2,035 2,034 13,376,438 17
13 18 Fantasia 2000 (Buena Vista) 1,553,037 +6% 28,760 54 54 33,690,679 79
14 10 Pitch Black (USA Films) 1,446,415 -51% 1,045 1,384 1,730 36,480,488 31
15 11 Reindeer Games (Miramax) 1,302,967 -54% 766 1,701 2,113 21,802,812 24
16 20 The Sixth Sense (Buena Vista) 1,280,780 +32% 1,459 878 672 288,477,004 227
17 12 Wonder Boys (Paramount) 1,186,526 -55% 814 1,458 1,509 16,930,982 26
18 14 3 Strikes (MGM) 989,630 -47% 1,460 678 678 8,748,772 19
19 -- Beyond the Mat (Lions Gate) 966,016 -- 3,242 298 -- 1,003,143 10
20 16 Scream 3 (Miramax) 894,540 -42% 680 1,316 1,447 85,925,084 45
21 22 The Green Mile (Warner Bros) 601,411 -9% 778 773 848 134,402,419 101
22 15 Hanging Up (Sony) 573,519 -66% 547 1,048 1,977 35,375,222 31
23 25 Boys Don't Cry (Fox Searchlight) 512,618 +11% 1,972 260 186 6,817,529 164
24 24 Stuart Little (Sony) 505,198 -2% 691 731 814 138,272,975 94
25 19 Boiler Room (New Line) 444,816 -54% 1,171 380 607 16,105,879 31
26 39 Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai (Artisan) 437,504 +273% 6,162 71 19 855,860 17
27 23 Sleepy Hollow (Paramount) 400,168 -29% 688 582 649 99,859,790 122
28 21 The Beach (20th Century Fox) 332,298 -51% 700 475 713 38,828,571 38
29 28 Toy Story 2 (Buena Vista) 308,602 +12% 902 342 352 241,878,319 122
30 17 What Planet Are You From (Sony) 238,271 -84% 364 655 2,248 6,182,589 17
31 26 Next Friday (New Line) 230,922 -32% 837 276 388 55,875,721 68
32 27 The Hurricane (Universal) 200,030 -39% 595 336 406 49,783,016 82
33 31 Mysteries of Egypt (Destination) 174,190 -12% 9,168 19 19 30,674,095 593
34 63 Double Jeopardy (Paramount) 168,240 +397% 2,714 62 102 116,735,231 178
35 32 Topsy-Turvy (USA Films) 134,710 -30% 1,236 109 111 5,430,985 96
36 29 Sweet and Lowdown (Sony Classics) 126,123 -48% 814 155 239 3,821,160 108
37 30 Galaxy Quest (DreamWorks) 120,354 -45% 704 171 381 70,130,408 86
38 44 God's Army (Zion) 115,642 +31% 6,425 18 12 274,942 10
39 36 All About My Mother (Sony Classics) 113,034 -19% 1,687 67 70 6,617,507 136
40 33 Trois (Rainforest) 107,446 -42% 2,149 50 53 887,446 39
41 37 The Insider (Buena Vista) 107,214 -15% 1,292 83 95 28,316,207 136
42 35 Angela's Ashes (Paramount) 103,430 -28% 306 338 538 12,714,711 86
43 34 Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (Buena Vista) 101,707 -34% 506 201 278 65,247,917 101
44 41 Rear Window (reissue) (USA Films) 89,405 -16% 2,416 37 27 1,323,029 59
45 50 Galapagos (Imax) 84,358 +9% 16,872 5 5 2,057,054 145
46 45 Magnolia (New Line) 78,592 -11% 1,483 53 56 22,039,264 94
47 38 The Talented Mr. Ripley (Paramount) 78,471 -34% 253 310 313 80,541,060 86
48 49 Island of the Sharks (Imax) 76,223 -4% 12,704 6 6 6,522,121 332
49 40 Any Given Sunday (Warner Bros) 72,687 -36% 307 237 368 75,463,929 89
50 42 The Cup (Fine Line) 70,768 -26% 1,815 39 42 801,165 52
51 47 Being John Malkovich (USA Films) 65,225 -21% 893 73 70 22,373,277 143
52 52 The Straight Story (Buena Vista) 63,566 -7% 1,177 54 47 5,952,858 157
53 43 Holy Smoke (Miramax) 61,782 -35% 1,211 51 52 1,628,057 108
54 48 The World Is Not Enough (MGM) 55,283 -31% 384 144 191 126,815,859 122
55 57 T-Rex: Back to the Cretaceous (Imax) 47,994 +8% 5,999 8 8 28,014,354 514
56 59 The Third Miracle (Sony Classics) 45,909 +16% 1,530 30 23 591,142 82
57 66 Mifune (Sony Classics) 44,137 +39% 3,678 12 6 183,383 24
58 53 The Emperor and the Assassin (Sony Classics) 43,499 -24% 1,279 34 32 1,008,159 94
59 61 Everest (MacGillivray Freeman) 41,052 +19% 2,737 15 19 75,359,885 748
60 62 Not One Less (Sony Classics) 40,188 +16% 2,364 17 11 237,145 31

Roberts Barely Holds Off 'God's Army' in Utah

Source: Salt Lake Tribune
URL: http://www.sltrib.com/2000/mar/03222000/business/35349.htm
Date: 22 March 2000

"God's Army" didn't kick Julia Roberts' butt, as producer-director-writer-star Richard Dutcher promised, but the Mormon-missionary movie did fare respectably in its second week of release on Utah screens.

Dutcher's film -- about a young missionary learning about faith and life in Los Angeles -- earned $115,642 on 18 screens from Logan to St. George this weekend, for an average of $6,424 per screen. It ranked 38th in the nation, up from 44th the previous week.

By comparison, the weekend's box-office champ, Roberts' "Erin Brockovich," had a per-screen average of $9,905 -- which, on 2,847 screens nationwide, came to a weekend total of $28.2 million. Aside from "Brockovich" and a few limited-release films -- like Jim Jarmusch's "Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai" and the Australian film "Soft Fruit" -- "God's Army" is outperforming, per-screen, most of the current big-budget Hollywood releases.

For 10 days of release, "God's Army" has made $274,942 -- a respectable haul for a movie that has, so far, not been seen by audiences outside Utah. Openings are planned next month in Arizona, Nevada, Idaho and California. On Tuesday, Excel Entertainment Group -- a Salt Lake company best known for releasing and distributing inspirational and religious music (including the "God's Army" sound track CD) -- announced it would take over national distribution of the film.


Daily Variety Box Office Chart: March 31-April 2

URL: http://news.excite.com/news/r/000403/23/film-weekend

["God's Army" continues to play to large audiences over 3 weeks after its release. Among feature films (excluding specialty IMAX films in limited release), in its third week, "God's Army" showed per-screen box office averages higher than all other films, except "Erin Brokovich" and the just-opened "High Fidelity", "The Skulls", and "The Road to El Dorado". Overall, including the IMAX films, "God's Army" was ranked 11th in per-screen box office average out of the North America's top 60 films.

Overall, "God's Army" was ranked 41st out of all North American films in terms of weekend box office reciepts. It's cumulative gross stood at $690,282, and it was readily apparent that it would be a financial success, as the budget to produce it was only around $1 million.]

Top 10 North American Feature Films by Per-Screen Average (March 31-April 2)

film title (studio)per-screen averagenumber of screens
this weekend
cumulative gross days in release
High Fidelity (Buena Vista) 5,435 1,183 6,429,107 3
Erin Brockovich (Universal) 4,745 2,908 75,811,060 17
The Skulls (Universal) 4,575 2,412 11,034,885 3
The Road to El Dorado (DreamWorks) 3,992 3,218 12,846,652 3
God's Army (Zion) 3,921 27 690,282 24
Romeo Must Die (Warner Bros.) 3,551 2,641 38,844,556 12
Kadosh (Kino) 3,016 14 296,680 47
American Beauty (DreamWorks) 2,717 1,990 116,658,175 201
Boys Don't Cry (Fox Searchlight) 2,697 365 9,326,087 178
Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai (Artisan) 2,418 106 1,804,635 31


All North American Films Released Between 2 and 5 Weeks Ago (as of April 2)

film title (studio)percentage change
(vs. week-ago)
per-screen averagenumber of screens
this weekend
cumulative grossdays in release.
Erin Brockovich (Universal) -26% 4,745 2,908 75,811,060 17
God's Army (Zion) -13% 3,921 27 690,282 24
Romeo Must Die (Warner Bros.) -48% 3,551 2,641 38,844,556 12
Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai (Artisan) -30% 2,418 106 1,804,635 31
Final Destination (New Line) -26% 2,314 2,314 28,344,513 17
Mission to Mars (Buena Vista) -42% 1,327 2,505 54,459,333 24
The Ninth Gate (Artisan) -58% 786 1,021 17,178,615 24
Beyond the Mat (Lions Gate) -69% 662 167 1,837,219 24
Drowning Mona (Destination Films) -67% 586 403 15,297,530 31
3 Strikes (MGM) -60% 500 301 9,589,919 33
The Next Best Thing (Paramount) -78% 173 714 14,750,368 31

Daily Variety Box Office Chart: April 21-23

Updated 1:13 AM ET April 25, 2000
URL: http://news.excite.com/news/r/000425/01/film-weekend
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Following are final data for the top 60 movies at the North American box office during the April 21-23 weekend. 

The columns should read: 
rank / rank last weekend / film title (studio) / weekend gross / percentage change (vs. week-ago) / per-screen average / number of screens this weekend / number of screens last weekend / cumulative gross / days in release

39 / 40 / God's Army (Zion) / 108,457 / +42% / 2,213 / 49 / 33 / 1,269,579 / 45
Over 6 weeks after its debut, "God's Army" appeared on an additional 16 screens, having opened in Idaho and other venues. Its national ranking actually increased, from 40 to 39th place, putting it ahead in weekend box office receipts of such major studio films as "The Tigger Movie", Sony's "Girl, Interrupted" with Whoopie Goldberg, and New Line's "The Price of Glory."

The cumulative gross so far was $1.27 million, well over the approx. $1 million initial investment. With box office sales still strong and strong video sales expected, "God's Army" is expected to turn a substantial profit for Zion Films and investors.

Top 15 Feature Films By Per-Screen Box Office Receipts, April 21-23, 2000

(Table does not include IMAX and other specialty theater films.)
rankrank last
weekend
film title
(studio)
weekend grosspercentage change
(vs. week-ago)
per-screen averagenumber of
screens this weekend
number of screens
last weekend
cumulative grossdays in release
24 -- The Virgin Suicides (Paramount Classics) 235,122 -- 13,062 18 -- 235,122 3
1 -- U-571 (Universal) $19,553,310 -- 7,570 2,583 -- $19,553,310 3
2 -- Love & Basketball (New Line) 8,139,180 -- 6580 1,237 -- 8,139,180 3
40 35 East-West (Sony Classics-Odeon) 103,396 14% 4,924 21 13 744,634 213
47 -- Croupier (Shooting Gallery) 80,247 -- 4,224 19 -- 80,247 3
23 -- The Other Conquest (Hombre de Oro) 305,308 -- 4,126 74 -- 397,688 5
48 39 Color of Paradise (Sony Classics) 74,081 -5% 3,899 19 18 329,426 24
5 3 Keeping the Faith (Buena Vista) 7,233,699 -10% 3,352 2,158 2,152 18,635,886 10
4 2 28 Days (Sony) 7,301,753 -29% 2,894 2,523 2,523 22,036,686 10
3 1 Rules of Engagement (Paramount) 8,007,551 -27% 2,487 3,220 3,190 43,050,371 17
39 40 God's Army (Zion) 108,457 42% 2,213 49 33 1,269,579 45
11 7 American Psycho (Lions Gate) 2,705,028 -45% 2,178 1,242 1,236 9,728,053 10
9 9 Final Destination (New Line) 2,761,900 -9% 2,116 1,305 1,509 42,598,890 38
13 11 High Fidelity (Buena Vista) 2,251,076 -16% 1,829 1,231 1,229 20,133,817 24
6 4 Erin Brockovich (Universal) 5,500,790 -22% 1,800 3,056 3,070 107,386,500 38

In per-screen receipts, "God's Army" outperformed nearly all films this weekend except newly release features. In the list above, only "East-West" has been playing longer than "God's Army."

UPDATE 1-Daily Variety Box Office Chart: May 5-7

URL: http://news.excite.com/news/r/000509/00/film-weekend

34 / 38 / God's Army (Zion) / 97,998 / -3% / 1,849 / 53 / 47 / 1,401,931 / 59

59 days after its initial release, "God's Army" jumped this weekend from the 38th highest weekend box office moneymaker to 34th place. The weekend's gross was $97,998, down just 3% from the previous weekend. The per-theater average was $1,849. "God's Army" was in 53 theaters, up from 47 the previous week. The cumulative gross was $1,401,931

Compared to some other films: "God's Army" was ranked a full ten places higher in total box office receipts than the big budget Buena Vista film "Mission to Mars," which had opened the same day. ("Mission to Mars", now ranked 44th, had a cumulative gross of $59,164,813, but audiences had fallen off compared to "God's Army" which was continuing to open in new venues.)

Another film which opened the same day as "God's Army" was Artisan's "The Ninth Gate". This weekend it was was ranked one place ahead of "God's Army", in 33rd place (total weekend box office). It was showing on 124 screens compared to "God's Army"'s 53 screens.

In total box office receipts, "God's Army" ranked ahead of many major studio films which had been showing for a shorter time or about the same amount of time. "God's Army" ranked ahead of Warner Brothers' "Ready to Rumble"; Trimark's "The Last September" (17 weeks); Warner Brothers' "The Whole Nine Yards" (80 weeks); USA Films' "Where the Money Is" (24 weeks); and Artisan's "Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai" (66 weeks), among others.

UPDATE 1-Daily Variety Box Office Chart: May 12-14

66 days after its release, "God's Army" passed the 1.5 million mark in gross receipts.

50 / 34 / God's Army (Zion) / 51,479 / -47% / 1,471 / 35 / 53 / 1,578,536 / 66

UPDATE 1-Daily Variety Box Office Chart: May 19-21

54 / 50 / God's Army (Zion) / 35,714 / -31% / 1,276 / 28 / 35 / 1,663,182 / 73

Daily Variety Box Office Chart: May 26-29

53 / 54 / God's Army (Zion) / 61,608 / +73% / 1,812 / 34 / 28 / 1,850,238 / 81

UPDATE 1-Daily Variety Box Office Chart: June 2-4

57 / 55 / God's Army (Zion) / 40,588 / -34% / 1,041 / 39 / 34 / 1,910,865 / 87



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