remained in the top 10, placing at No. 8 at the weekend box office while earning an estimated $4 million from 852 theaters, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com.

The drama, which stars Kirk Cameron as a firefighter who turns to God to rescue his marriage, debuted at No. 4 the previous weekend with $6.8 million total receipts in just 839 theaters nationwide.

Fireproof finished two spots ahead of Religulous, a satirical documentary about religious fundamentalism featuring comedian Bill Maher—one of seven movies that opened on the weekend. On Oct. 10, Fireproof's distributor Samuel Goldwyn Films will add another 200 theaters for the movie, which has made $12.5 million so far despite a $500,000 budget, Time magazine reported.

Buoyed by grass-roots support and bulk ticket purchases from churchgoers as well as some Christian retailers, the film has received mostly good reviews. "Fireproof may not be the most profound movie ever made, but it does have its commendable elements, including that rarest of creatures on the big … screen: characters with a strong, conservative Christian faith who don't sound crazy," The New York Times observed.

The Hollywood Reporter added: "While hardly sophisticated in its approach and certainly not polished in its technical elements, the film does get its heartfelt message across with undeniable sincerity. Its success at the box office, which will no doubt continue on home video, demonstrates that there's no shortage of filmgoers dissatisfied with cynical Hollywood product."

Meanwhile, there are now 600,000 copies in print of The Love Dare (B&H Books/B&H Publishing Group), a marriage book written by the film's co-producing brothers, Stephen and Alex Kendrick. The book was ranked No. 8 on Amazon.com's best-seller list at press time.

Featured on Fireproof, John Waller's "While I'm Waiting" hit No. 3 last week on iTunes' Christian song chart. The song is from his 2007 debut album, The Blessing (Beach Street/Provident-Integrity).

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