Passage to Zarahemla
Tops List of Current Releases
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah ― With
a high ranking last weekend amongst such Hollywood
hit films as “The Game Plan,” and “Michael Clayton,” Passage
to Zarahemla topped the list of
films for Monday’s Utah film rankings and continues to be “the
hit" throughout the state of Utah.
The film ranked 4th overall for
the week to date ― due, of course, to the film's poor
performance on Sunday, which was expected. Significantly,
taking Sunday out of the mix and only counting Friday, Saturday,
and Monday, Passage to Zarahemla
is in a statistical tie with We Own the Night for second
in the state.
“We are very pleased with the results,”
says the film's director, Chris Heimerdinger, “We wear poor Sunday box office as a badge of
honor, just as we're proud of a No. 1 showing for a Monday night. We
hope this trend of re-involvement in LDS films continues. It’s
been a long time in coming and we couldn’t be happier.”
Passage to Zarahemla’s unprecedented special effects,
engaging storyline and refreshing acting brought such reviews
as Sean Mean’s long-time-in-coming, positive LDS review.
“Novelist-turned-filmmaker Chris Heimerdinger
breaks Mormon Cinema's green Jell-O mold in Passage to Zarahemla,"
he wrote, "ambitiously transposing settings from the Book
of Mormon into a stimulating action-adventure drama.”
The film also encouraged Cody
Clark of the Daily Herald to say that Passage to Zarahemla
was a “visually polished” film. And even Jeff Vice admitted
Passage to Zarahemla
is "not the same movie that local filmmakers keep offering
us over and over again.”
After a period when many believed
LDS cinema was dead forever, audiences are now flocking
to theaters to show their support of high quality film as is
found in Passage to Zarahemla. Says Heimerdinger, “With this type of response,
it only stands to reason that the bar has, once again, been
raised. LDS audiences are still out there seeking quality
films, which encourages me to keep my options very open.”
For more information on Passage
to Zarahemla, visit www.passagetozarahemla.com
or contact Bettyanne Bruin at bruinpr@yahoo.com.
