hollywood

Unplanned Shocks Hollywood, Has a $6 Million Opening Weekend

Last week, Hollywood actors threated to boycott the state of Georgia over its heartbeat bill, which would essentially ban abortion after about the sixth week of pregnancy. These actors argued that the loss of their business would have a detrimental impact on the state’s economy, but after this last weekend, maybe that threat isn’t as true as they would like people to believe.

 “Unplanned,” the pro-life movie about former Planned Parenthood clinic director Abby Johnson, did exceptionally well at the box office in its initial debut. According to Box Office Mojo, the film earned an impressive $6.4 million, ranking at the number four spot behind “Dumbo,” “Us,” and “Captain Marvel.” For a pro-life Christian film to rank so highly against other blockbuster films is great, but it wasn’t an easy journey. 

Since day one, the film has faced spiritual and cultural opposition.

The co-directors of the film shared that while the on set filming experience was calm, things weren’t always great for the cast and crew outside the studio walls. Cary Solomon, one of the directors, shared with Catholic Herald that there were about 15 car accidents that involved members of the production, including star Ashley Bratcher, or their family members. All were lucky to walk away from those accidents without serious injury.

After filming, perhaps one of the worst things to happen to the production is the decision by the MPAA to give the film an R rating, usually the kiss of death to most films. In general, most Hollywood productions prefer a PG-13 to an R rating, unless the film is designed with an adult audience in mind, because it usually negatively impacts audience attendance. But that’s not what happened to “Unplanned.” Instead, the R rating and the ensuing media articles and social media outrage helped the film attract more attention and likely contributed to more ticket sales. The R rating, for some disturbing/bloody images, also demonstrated that while Planned Parenthood might call abortion a “safe, simple medical procedure,” the reality is something entirely different.

As the film neared its release date, the producers had a difficult time trying to get television stations and Christian radio to play their advertisements. For example, Lifetime, Travel Channel, HGTV, and the Hallmark Channel all declined the opportunity to air “Unplanned” ads. Only Fox News and the Christian Broadcasting Network made an exception. Even KLOVE, the popular Christian radio station, initially passed on the ads because of the film’s R rating. The station eventually reversed course after public outcry about the decision.

When it was finally opening weekend, anticipation for the film was high. But again, things didn’t go off as smoothly as some would’ve liked. Over the weekend, the film’s official Twitter page suddenly went dark. The page was quickly reinstated, with Twitter explaining that it was an “error.” It was just another example of a pro-life film that has struggled against a pro-abortion media environment, but “Unplanned” has gotten the last word. As of today, the official “Unplanned” Twitter account has 324,000 followers and Planned Parenthood has only 259,000. 

There will always be opposition from the media and Hollywood when any pro-life film comes out, but that doesn’t mean that the movie will be unsuccessful. “Unplanned” shows that there is a deep appetite for films that demonstrate a pro-life message and that an R rating or a Twitter blackout will not stop people from discovering the truth about abortion.

Photo from Facebook via Unplanned.

 

 

Hollywood Uses Mafia Style Shakedown to Try and Defeat Georgia’s Heartbeat Bill

Actors, directors and producers in Hollywood tend to lean more towards the extreme liberal left on the political spectrum. From endorsing radical liberal candidates to worshiping at the feet of Planned Parenthood, Hollywood has enjoyed using its notoriety and public influence to push a decidedly liberal political agenda. Usually, their influence is limited to the likes of California and New York, both well-established liberal political alcoves, but the rising film industry in Georgia has given Hollywood a new target.

Recently, actress Alyssa Milano sent a letter to Georgia’s Governor and Speaker of the House about H.B. 481, Georgia’s version of the popular “heartbeat bill” that’s been passed in several states. In the letter, Milano and 49 other Hollywood actors threaten to hold Georgia’s economy hostage by refusing to film future roles in the state if the bill passes, which it did late Friday afternoon.

The letter itself is rather juvenile and states that the actors enjoyed the “hotels in which we stay and the restaurants in which we dine while filming down there to be comfortable and of high quality.” Then, it moves on down to say that if the bill is enacted, they imagine politicians struggling to explain to their constituents how they, “…enacted a law that was so evil, it chased billions of dollars out of our state’s economy.” Additionally, they threaten, “It’s not the most effective campaign slogan, but rest assured we’ll make it yours should it come to pass.” It reads like a mafia style shakedown, and it could have worked.

Georgia’s film industry brought $9.5 billion dollars to the state last year and is now considered the “Hollywood of the South.” The threats of Milano and her merry band could result in the loss of television shows and movies being filmed in the state, which would be a huge blow to the economy. Many Marvel films, including Avengers: Endgame, Captain America: Civil War, Spiderman: Homecoming, have all been filmed in the state.

Despite this blatant manipulation, the politicians and citizens of Georgia have made the brave decision to stand strong for life and not fall for such a disgraceful stunt. The actors and actresses who signed with Milano, including Christina Applegate, Don Cheadle, Debra Messing, Alec Baldwin, Sean Penn and Ben Stiller, should apologize to the people of Georgia.

Hollywood does not have the right to dictate the policy of other states, especially on something as important as the life of a preborn child. While they might be self-important in their own minds, policy should be made by the people of the state not a transient group of actors who only come to the state when there is a million-dollar paycheck to make. They don’t have to live with the law and should have no say in what happens in a state where they are not a resident. (Especially since this piece of legislation is likely unenforceable under Roe v. Wade.) If they want to make self-righteous political statements, Los Angeles and New York City would happily hear their rantings.

Also, how is saving the life of a preborn child through a piece of legislation that limits abortion to six weeks of pregnancy “evil?”

It feels like over the last several years that the use of “evil” has become casual. Instead of evil representing repressive regimes like Nazi Germany and Pol Pot in Cambodia, it is now defined as being anti-abortion or (gasp) having a biblical view on marriage. If wanting to protect the life of a preborn child is “evil,” then what would these individuals define as good?

This weekend, the feature film Unplanned will arrive in theatres. It tells the true story of Abby Johnson, the youngest Planned Parenthood clinical director in the history of the organization who became pro-life after witnessing an abortion. Ashley Bratcher, the actress who portrays Abby, wrote an open letter in response to Alyssa Milano:

“Mother to mother, actress to actress, and as a proud Georgian, I’ve got some things to say to you… I can’t help but think how you would feel in my shoes. Having just learned months ago that my life was spared on an abortion table, it definitely put a few things in perspective for me. You had the privilege of being born in 1972. My generation was not so lucky. Over 61 million lives never reached their full potential. How many doctors, scientists, philosophers, and even actors like you and me, never had the chance to leave their beautiful marks on the world?”

Voting for this bill makes a strong statement, and there could be some real economic consequences. Pray that Georgia’s politicians will continue stand strong, and that many would be encouraged to see Ashely Bratcher’s film, Unplanned. She said that Abby’s testimony and the film helped change her mind on abortion, hopefully it will change the minds of others as well.