Sherwood Pictures’ Courageous was the No. 4 movie in the country last weekend during its opening and the No. 1 new movie. The fatherhood-themed film ranked just behind No. 1 Dolphin Tale, No. 2 Moneyball and No. 3 The Lion King 3-D.

The weekend box-office take for the Sherwood Pictures’ PG-13 drama was $9 million, $2.2 million more than its predecessor, Fireproof. With a production budget of around $2 million, Courageous opened in 1,161 theaters nationwide. Dolphin Tale opened previously in 3,507 theaters, Moneyball in 2,993 and The Lion King 3D in 2,330.

“What a great weekend for us, between Moneyball and Courageous,” said Sony Worldwide President of Distribution Rory Bruer, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “Moneyball had a tremendous hold, while Courageous, only costing $2 million to make, was a huge success. It hit home for that core audience,"

Market research firm CinemaScore gave the film a rare A+, while the film saw mixed reviews.

Frank Scheck from The Hollywood Reporter thought that Courageous revealed Alex and Stephen Kendrick’s “growing expertise as filmmakers with its skillful blending of moving drama, subtle comedy and several impressive action sequences. …

“The characters are complex and well-drawn, struggling with various personal issues that test their faith and character in believable ways. But the episodic and frequently melodramatic storyline contains enough incidents and subplots to fill an entire television season.”

The Los Angeles Times said the film “proves a particularly clunky, tunnel-visioned vehicle whose overbearing, overlong script nearly smothers the movie's quibble-free message: Fathers must be responsible. And what of the importance of mothers here? It often feels like a case of ‘Oh, them.’ ”

The fourth film from Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Ga., Courageous follows the faith and fatherhood journey of four police officers.

• Prev
• Next