'EVAN ALMIGHTY': UNIVERSAL ON A WING AND A PRAYER (LAT, DHD)

By Nancy Vialatte

When Hollywood finds religion it usually runs away, notes today�s Los Angeles Times.

The industry�s reticence to pander and preach to the masses � as evidenced by such examples as the difficulty in getting "The Passion of the Christ" distributed or the general downplaying of spiritual themes in "The Chronicles of Narnia" � means that Universal will be taking a leap of faith this coming Friday when it releases Tom Shadyac�s overtly spiritual Noah�s ark comedy "Evan Almighty."

In investing more than $200 million in the film's production and marketing, Universal is betting that blue-state filmmakers can once again tap into red-state values. (LAT)

And yet, it�s been a long time since biblically-themed films like "The Ten Commandments" were routinely on major studio slates. But if "Evan Almighty" turns into a summer hit, it could put Hollywood back in the business of making big-budget movies that intentionally embrace sacred subjects.

Christian moviegoers have been an increasingly hot target since Gibson's "Passion" grossed more than $370 million in 2004. In assembling "Evan Almighty," Universal and Shadyac endeavored to create a crowd-pleasing, but nondogmatic, parable. The goal was to appeal not only to fans of star Steve Carell � last seen searching for a willing woman in "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" � but also liberal environmentalists and more socially conservative audiences who rarely venture into the multiplex. (LAT)

In marketing the film to the flyover states, Universal recruited Grace Hill Media, a publicity and marketing firm that helps bridge the religious divide between studios, churches and worshipers. (See WireTap's Grace Hill profile here.) But Deadline Hollywood Daily isn�t so convinced that the strategy will prove fruitful:

Universal moguls have convinced themselves that religious America will turn out for this family fun in droves. I�m not so sure, and I may look like an idiot at the end of the summer by saying so�I suspect The Passion Of The Christ crowd wants stories based on the New Testament than the Old Testament. Leave it to heathen Hollywood not to comprehend that. (DHD)

Although audience tracking indicates that Universal still has work to do to get those families into the multiplex, it�s not all bad news.

Many of the other tracking numbers are finally shooting upwards these last days leading to release because of the studio�s Hail Mary marketing onslaught. The "First Choice" numbers for kids doubled over the weekend and are doubling day by day, while �Want To See� among tweens, teens and young adults keeps rising. But while the movie now has a very high "Awareness" factor, which is a given for a follow-up to a successful film, the crucial indicator of "Unaided Awareness" is still very low. (DHD)

Indeed, DHD says that over at Universal, there are �none of the usual platitudes� and that instead, �moguls at the studio are resorting to just plain prayers.�

For the time being, attendance is expected to drop off sharply in �Evan�s� second week given the crowded field. On June 29th �Ratatouille� � which has been getting great notices � opens while �Transformers� storms into theaters on July 3.

While the rest of Hollywood will be watching "Evan Almighty's" performance � producer Jerry Weitraub holds the "Oh, God!" remake rights � smaller studio divisions have begun testing the faith-based waters. 20th Century Fox has FoxFaith, a division launched last year and charged with making six religion-themed films a year, albeit with modest budgets. Awaiting release from FoxFaith is "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," based on the stage play about the weakening of the African American family, and currently in production is "Mama, I Want to Sing!" about a preacher's daughter who rises from the church choir to international pop stardom. (LAT)