The Kendrick Brother's War Room has surpassed the filmmakers expectations and taken the top spot at the box office, moving Straight Outta Compton out of the number one position that it held for four weeks.
The Christian-based film about faith and prayer is the fifth movie from the dynamic filmmaker pair, Alex Kendrick and brother Stephen Kendrick. Together, the duo formed Kendrick Brothers Productions and released War Room as the first movie under the banner. The flick was created with a $3 million budget but managed to earn $9.3 Million at the box office during opening week according to a Rentrak report released by ABC and it has quickly risen to $11 million as reported by The Wrap. Straight Outta Compton, the movie that chronicles the lives of rap group N.W.A. members, has earned $8.8 million, putting War Room at the number one spot.
The story found in War Room centers around a family who appears to be living a happy life as husband and wife with a beautiful daughter. But looks are deceiving as the "happily married couple" is actually being tested in their marriage and facing turmoil stemming from bitterness and temptation. The family is introduced to a woman who changes their lives by telling them about the power of prayer.
Alex says it was the power of prayer that brought such success to this movie for he, his brother and the entire cast. Many of the actors in this film are not relatively known, but the amount of love and support given to the film is beyond incredible. In an interview, Rory Bruer, Sony Distribution Chief told the NY Post, "There is so much love for this film [and] it starts with the Kendricks." He continued, "They're visionaries in this genre."
The brothers have had much success with past movies although they didn't come easy for them. Courageous, Fireproof and Facing the Giants were their first three films but Facing The Giants caught the attention of the music industry's top company, Sony.
CNN reported that the brothers struggled with finding a distributor for the film but after reaching out to a music company to gain permission to use one of their songs in the film, said company not only agreed to allow the use of the song but the parent company, Sony, wanted to help the brothers by releasing the film.
As box office numbers continue to climb with War Room the Kendrick Brothers remain humble and grateful.
