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Summarized by Excel Entertainment Press Release
God's Army VHS and DVD to Hit Stores Nationwide on November 14
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH -- God's Army gave the outside world it's first glimpse
into the inner workings of the lives and minds of Mormon missionaries when
the film hit theater screens in cities across the nation this summer.
At long last the hit independent film will be available for people to view
on their own television screens when VHS and DVD versions go on sale
Tuesday, November 14.
"We expect to ship in excess of 120,000 units before Thanksgiving alone,"
says Dean Hale of Excel Entertainment Group, Inc., the company that handled
the theatrical release of God's Army and is now handling the video release.
"The orders coming in are phenomenal. We are getting orders from stores and
national chains that have never before shown any kind of interest in
LDS-themed entertainment."
"When we first put the web site up, we were getting something like 300
downloads of the trailer a day," says Jeff Allen of VuWorks, the company
that built the official God's Army web site
( http://www.godsarmythemovie.com )
in March. "And people are still very excited about this movie."
In addition to being available at traditional LDS bookstores, God's Army
will be distributed through various intermountain and national distribution
channels, including Albertson's, Smith's, Dan's, Macy's, Fred Meyer, Media
Play, Sam Goody's, Borders, Barnes &Noble, Sun Coast, Wherehouse, Musicland
and Hastings. Availability will not be restricted to the intermountain area.
For example, Musicland will have the video available in 230 stores nationwide.
Touted as the birth of Mormon cinema, God's Army is being credited with
creating a new genre of film-realistic and well-made religious films that
can seriously appeal to a mainstream audience.
The Kansas City Star seemed surprised to note that "the film's observations
about the nature of faith are insightful enough to arouse the interest of
just about anyone with a spiritual bent." Other critics gave the movie even
stronger praise. Michael Medved, on his nationally syndicated radio talk
show called God's Army "fascinating, riveting and emotionally satisfying."
The LA Times called God's Army a "well-made independent film*the movie is
actually a sensitive and thoughtful probe into questions of faith."
By the end of it's theatrical release, God's Army will have grossed over
$2.6 million, played in 43 states and over 250 cities. International release
of the film has already begun, as the film is currently playing in Canada
with plans to open soon in New Zealand, Australia, Tonga and Samoa. Plans
for theatrical release in Great Britain, South Africa and the Philippines
are also underway.
While the film is certain to be a top seller during the next few months,
distributors expect that God's Army will continue to sell well for years to
come. "That's the nature of breakthrough films like God's Army," says Hale.
"In this business they're called evergreen. They live forever."
Source:
God's Army VHS and DVD to Hit Stores Nationwide on November 14
Excel Entertainment Press Release 26Oct00 A2
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