'THE GOSPEL' Film taps into large urban markets

Hollywood took notice of the success of 'Diary of a Mad Black Woman.'
By KELLEY L. CARTER
DETROIT FREE PRESS
There's no denying the story viewers are about to get on film -- it'll be spiritual, it'll be heartwarming and it'll feel like every day.
Filmmakers behind the movie "The Gospel," which opens Friday, are banking on viewers' feeling uplifted after seeing their movie -- and then some. It's a story about faith, family and friendships and about coming back home to the church and the foundation for the goodness of everyday blessings. Before the film wraps up, there is a celebration in song, using the voices, faces and personalities of some of the world's most popular gospel musicians.
The Gospel-themed film is a lot like the Gospel-themed stage plays that have been pulling in sizable audiences in large urban markets for decades. But Hollywood only recently got an indication of that audience's clout after witnessing the success of playwright Tyler Perry's stage-to-film conversion of "Diary of a Mad Black Woman."
Big moneymaker
Perry, who is based in Atlanta, paid half of the $5.5 million budget to get his project, one of several hits on the national black play circuit, made. The appeal of urban faith-based productions was underestimated. Jaws dropped when his film pulled in $22.7 million in its opening weekend earlier this year.
Almost immediately, film studios began looking for something else that could turn a quick buck and bring what many consider to be a long-ignored audience into movie megaplexes.
"The Gospel" is the next big project that focuses on faith and spirituality, what happens when you lose it, and how life changes for the better when you get it back. Originally, it looked to be headed straight to video, but after seeing "Diary of Mad Black Woman" bring in more than $50 million at the box office, Sony/Screen Gems decided to put "The Gospel" on the big screen.
"The key is it has been an unrecognized and untargeted market," says Holly Davis-Carter, executive producer of "The Gospel." "And Tyler is the one that made them realize, hello, there's a market out there and they're missing it. They are the market that leave church on Sunday mornings and don't have a place to go. There are Christian households that are looking for something wholesome to do on a Friday or Saturday night with their family. They want to go to a theatrical production that has concepts and themes that look like and represent who they are without having to be a prostitute or a hoodlum."
Prodigal son
The story in "The Gospel" is familiar. It's loosely based on the biblical tale of the prodigal son, which follows a character who leaves his father's home and rejects his upbringing. In this modern-day version, a preacher's son (Boris Kodjoe) blessed with an incredible voice leaves his father, his church and his spiritual upbringing after his mother dies. He becomes a standout in the world of secular music, singing about all the sexy stuff he never studied in Sunday school, then returns home after his father becomes ill.
The cast is an impressive meshing of gospel superstars (Donnie McClurkin, Hezekiah Walker, Delores "Mom" Winans, Yolanda Adams, Kirk Franklin) and rising black Hollywood film actors (Kodjoe, Clifton Powell, Omar Gooding, Keisha Knight-Pulliam). The film is co-executive-produced by gospel star Fred Hammond, who also has a cameo in the film.
Film's roots
The film springs from the strain of entertainment that produces what is largely known -- and in some cases largely loathed -- as the chitlin' circuit. The term often describes black plays that aren't considered serious or mainstream. Chitlins is slang for chitterlings -- the gray, soggy, noodle-like small intestine scraps that plantation owners once gave to slave families. As the story goes, the families took the cast-off food and added onions, potatoes, celery, salt and pepper. Today many black American families consider chitlins to be a holiday delicacy.
It's a metaphor to be sure, but it's much the same thing for those gospel-themed plays. The audience for such productions often looks like church on Sunday morning: primarily black women, ages 25-54. And the plays cater very specifically to that group.
"I am truly excited that Hollywood is opening its doors to more faith-based films," says Kimberley Brooks, author of the Christian fiction novel "He's Fine ... But is He Saved?" "I believe Hollywood is receiving a spiritual awakening. I love them because they are relatable, entertaining and they keep God and His principles as their center focus."