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By Excel Entertainment Press Release
God's Army Distributor Reports Record-Shattering Sales
God's Army Distributor Reports Record-Shattering Sales
Independent Film Continues to Make Waves Nationally
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH -- Eight months after it's world premiere, God's
Army is still making headlines. The breakthrough independent film
that chronicled several weeks in the lives of a group of Mormon
missionaries in Los Angeles broke records at the box office, and is
continuing that trend on video.
Excel Distribution, the Salt Lake City-based company which undertook
both the theatrical distribution and now the video distribution of
God's Army, passed the $2 million sales mark in November, the first
time ever in a single month.
"A large part of those sales are the God's Army video and DVD," says
Dean Hale, head of Excel Distribution. "But our music sales are also
higher than they've ever been. It's like the LDS media products
market has been struck by lightening and come to life."
The film has also been nominated by the VSDA (Video Software Dealers
Association) for a Home Entertainment Award. God's Army is nominated
as the 'Sell-through Title of the Year by an Independent Studio.'
A subsidiary of Excel Entertainment Group, Inc., Excel Distribution
was primarily a music distributor before getting involved with God's
Army. Also under the umbrella of Excel Entertainment Group are
three records labels, which produce primarily faith-centered music
distributed by Excel Distribution into over 300 stores nationwide.
Executives at Excel recognized the risks involved with branching out
so quickly into national film distribution, but taking the risk has
paid off. God's Army became the #1 movie in Utah for the first half
of 2000, and video sales have been brisk, reflecting the popularity
of the film. By the end of it's theatrical release the movie had
grossed over $2.6 million, and garnered praise from critics around
the country as a breakthrough religious film. Projected video sales
of the film are expected to top 120,000 before Christmas, making
God's Army a blockbuster in the world of independent film.
"[God's Army filmmaker] Richard Dutcher originally approached us
about doing the soundtrack for the film," says Jeff Simpson,
president of Excel Entertainment Group. "We understood what Richard
was trying to accomplish with his movie, and it really paralleled
what our vision was here at Excel. We worked together very well, and
so when the moment was right we took over theatrical distribution of
the movie."
Simpson continues, "It had been part of our overall vision to become
a complete entertainment company, supplying great music, film, video,
television and any other kind of entertainment media that is a
reflection of the culture of this region. God's Army presented us
with an opportunity that we didn't want to pass up."
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