THEATERS FILL FOR 'RETURN TO THE HIDING PLACE'
Story of Corrie ten Boom's brave resistance to tyranny hits Top 5
Published: 06/01/2014 at 5:36 PM
Kelly Greyson of "Return to the Hiding Place"
When Billy Graham’s World Wide Pictures released “The Hiding Place” in 1975, it gave audiences not only the Golden Globe-nominated true story of Corrie ten Boom’s brave resistance to Nazi occupation of her native Netherlands, but also a movie many consider one of the greatest faith films of all time.
Now, nearly 40 years later, audiences are flocking to “Return to the Hiding Place,” a second film made about ten Boom’s efforts to hide and aid both Jewish refugees and Dutch resistance fighters in World War II.
But this is no Hollywood-generated sequel.
As WND reported, “Return to the Hiding Place” is based on Dutch student Hans Poley’s true account of his days as a member of ten Boom’s secret army of untrained teenagers – navigating a labyrinth of challenges to rescue the Jewish people and playing a deadly game of cat and mouse with the Nazi Gestapo during one of history’s most famous dramas.
In its limited opening right before Memorial Day, “Return to the Hiding Place” averaged $7,338.40 per theater, a per-screen average that ranked No. 5 among all movies over the weekend. Add in Memorial Day itself, and BoxOfficeMojo.com reports the movie averaged $8,137 across its only 5 theaters, grossing $40,684 over the full, four-day weekend.
By comparison, the $8,137 average was less than the new “X-Men” movie’s debut and “Godzilla” in its second week, but well ahead of the weekend’s only other wide release, the Adam Sadler and Drew Barrymore comedy, “Blended,” which grossed only $4,989 per theater.
“‘Return to the Hiding Place’ was a labor of love for everyone involved, and we’re thrilled to see the huge wave of support it received over the long Memorial Day Weekend,” said director and producer Peter Spencer. “We had sold out-screenings in various markets as well as strong word of mouth throughout. We couldn’t be happier and looking forward to wider release plans for the film later in the year.”
The multi-award-winning movie stars John Rhys-Davies (who starred in the “Indiana Jones” films and portrayed the dwarf Gimli in the “Lord of the Rings” movies), Craig Robert Young (“NCIS: LA,” “Hawaii Five-O”), David Thomas Jenkins (“CSI:Miami,” “Bold and the Beautiful”), Rachel Spencer Hewitt (“Fly by Night,” “A Civil War Christmas”) and Mimi Sagadin (“The Dilemma”).
Premiering to a sold-out screening at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, “Return to the Hiding Place” has garnered several awards to date. The movie was selected as “Best Feature Film” at the Bel-Air Film Festival, Central Florida Film Festival, San Antonio Christian Film Festival and Life Fest Film Festival. In addition, is has also been recognized by Yad Vashem, Israel’s official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust.
Based on the true story taken from Poley’s autobiographical book, the movie highlights themes of endurance, perseverance and faith through Poley’s experiences as a student resistance fighter during the Holocaust in World War II.
“‘Return to the Hiding Place’ depicts a great story with real historical characters brought to life in a stunning account of self-sacrifice for the greater good,” says director Peter Spencer. “It captures a moment in time that will impact society for generations to come.”
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