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Pinnacle Peak Pictures

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Pinnacle Peak Pictures
Company typePrivate
IndustryEntertainment
GenreReligious
FoundedNovember 21, 2005; 18 years ago (2005-11-21)
FoundersDavid A. R. White
Russell Wolfe
Headquarters
Scottsdale, Arizona
,
U.S.
Key people
David A. R. White
Michael Scott (CEO)[1]
ProductsChristian films
ServicesEducational curriculum
Revenue$27.4 million (2018 box office receipts)[2]
Websitepinnaclepeakpictures.com

Pinnacle Peak Pictures (formerly Pure Flix Entertainment until January 2021) is an American independent evangelical Christian film production and distribution studio founded by David A. R. White and Russell Wolfe.[3] Pinnacle Peak produces Christian films, including God's Not Dead (2014), Do You Believe? (2015), Woodlawn (2015), The Case for Christ (2017), and Unplanned (2019). Since 2014, films produced and distributed by Pure Flix have collectively grossed over $195 million at the worldwide box office.[4] The company has headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona.

History

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Pinnacle Peak was founded in 2005 by David A. R. White, Michael Scott, Russell Wolfe, Randy Travis, Byron M. Jones[5][6][7][8][9][10] and Elizabeth Travis as Pure Flix Entertainment.[11][12]

Since its foundation, the company has created many films, such as The Wager,[13] Home Beyond the Sun, In the Blink of an Eye, Sarah's Choice,[14] A Greater Yes: The Story of Amy Newhouse, The Book of Ruth: Journey of Faith, Holyman Undercover, and Samson.

The company produced Jerusalem Countdown in 2011, with 10 West Studios.[15] They also produced the first two seasons of TBN's Travel the Road. God's Not Dead (2014) starring Kevin Sorbo, Shane Harper, and Dean Cain[16] earned over $60 million in the U.S. box office and was released in digital format by Lionsgate on August 5, 2014.[17]

In November 2015, Pure Flix established an in-house distribution arm, hiring former Regal executive Ken Rather as head. The studio planned for God's Not Dead 2 to be its first self-distributed film.[18] Also in 2015, Pure Flix launched a subscription streaming service of the same name, which would be devoted to Christian and family-friendly films and television series.[19] In 2016, Pure Flix launched "Keep the Faith", a curriculum supplement for homeschooling. [20]

Pure Flix partnered with the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference to supply further opportunities for Hispanic actors to improve the media representation of the Hispanic community.[21][22] In 2016, Pure Flix reached a multi-year home media distribution deal with Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, starting with Woodlawn.[23]

On November 12, 2020, Pure Flix announced that it would sell its eponymous streaming service to Sony Pictures Entertainment (via its Affirm Films subsidiary); financial details were not disclosed.[24][25] The acquisition included rights to the "Pure Flix" brand,[25] thus the studio was rebranded as Pinnacle Peak Pictures in January 2021.[26]

God's Not Dead series

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Their film God's Not Dead was 2014's highest-grossing independent film[27] and one of the most successful independent faith-based films of all time despite negative criticism.[28] A second film, God's Not Dead 2 grossed over $1.4 million in Brazil[29] and was considered by Vox to be "moderately commercially successful".[30] A third film, titled God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness, was released on March 30, 2018. A fourth film, God's Not Dead: We the People, was released in October 2021. The Christian band Newsboys appear in and provide music for the first two films in the series.[31] Legalities related to the Johnson Amendment were referenced in the second film.[32]

Awards and nominations

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Year Nominated work Award Result
2014 God's Not Dead Inspirational Film of the Year – GMA Dove Awards Won[33]

Productions and distributions

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Film

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Release date Title Notes
2004 Home Beyond the Sun
2007 The Wager
2008 The Imposter
2009 A Greater Yes: The Story of Amy Newhouse
Sarah's Choice
In the Blink of an Eye
The Book of Ruth: Journey of Faith
2010 Holyman Undercover
What If...[34]
The Bill Collector
2011 The Encounter
Jerusalem Countdown[35]
2012 Ghost Soldiers
Apostle Peter and the Last Supper[36]
The Mark
2013 The Book of Esther[37]
The Book of Daniel[38]
2014 God's Not Dead[39]
Moms' Night Out Produced by TriStar Pictures, Affirm Films, Provident Films, and Four Boys Entertainment
2015 Do You Believe?[40]
Old Fashioned
Faith of Our Fathers
Woodlawn[41]
2016 God's Not Dead 2
Hillsong: Let Hope Rise
I'm Not Ashamed Produced by Big Film Factory and Visible Pictures
2017 The Case for Christ[42]
Same Kind of Different as Me Distribution only
Produced by Disruption Entertainment and Paramount Pictures
2018 Samson Produced by Boomtown Films
God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness
Unbroken: Path to Redemption Produced by Universal 1440 Entertainment and The WTA Group
Shake Off the World[43]
Little Women Produced by Paulist Productions and Main Dog Productions
Indivisible
2019 Unplanned[44]
2021 God's Not Dead: We the People[45]
2022 Redeeming Love[46] Produced by Universal Pictures, Nitibah Pictures, and Mission Pictures International
2024 God's Not Dead: In God We Trust

Television

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Subsidiaries

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Pinnacle Peak owns a subsidiary known as Quality Flix.[47] Quality Flix works with international films, in contrast to Pinnacle Peak, which is primarily focused on distribution of films within the United States.[48]

Controversies

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In 2019, Pure Flix's anti-abortion film Unplanned attracted controversy in both mainstream and evangelical media. Some Christian commentators perceived the film as being unfairly censored after it received an R rating from the Motion Picture Association of America and following a brief and subsequently rescinded suspension of the film's Twitter account.[49][50] Michael Gryboski, writing for Christian Post, criticized major Canadian film distributors (such as Cineplex) refusal to screen the film in the country, calling it a "de facto ban".[51] Film critic Normal Wilner countered that statement by accusing the distributors of employing disingenuous tactics to "manufacture a controversy", pointing out that the film was eventually shown in about 25 Cineplex and Landmark theaters in Canada and claiming nothing had prevented an earlier release. In turn, he pointed out Pure Flix's decision of deliberately choosing not to screen Unplanned for critics to avoid negative reviews.[52] After its release, some criticized Unplanned for 'dangerous' inaccuracies.[53]

Despite Pure Flix films generally being well-received by its evangelical Christian viewership, the company has also attracted criticism from several Christian commentators. Film critic Alissa Wilkinson, who wrote for Christianity Today and teaches at the Christian King's College in New York City, criticized Pure Flix films for being intellectually unstimulating and reinforcing their audience's prejudices "instead of exercising and challenging the imagination of their audience in ways that would make their audience better Christians".[54] She also criticized the studio's successful God's Not Dead trilogy for being "far more interested in bolstering a certain sort of persecution complex than in encouraging its audience toward Christlike behavior".[55] Justin Chang, another film critic who identifies as Christian, likewise criticized Pure Flix's brand of faith-based films for what he perceived as their "self-victimizing" depiction of the evangelical Christian community.[56] Kayla Bartsch, writing for National Review, argued that Pure Flix's films "work to confirm the hypothesis that American Christianity must be artless and unrefined", making a case for more nuanced and stimulating religious films.[57]

References

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  1. ^ Scribner, Herb (July 11, 2018). "'This isn't just about a movie': Pure Flix CEO explains why he wants movie rights to Thai cave rescue story". Deseret News. Archived from the original on July 12, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  2. ^ Pure Flix Box Office Receipts by Release Date | Box Office Mojo
  3. ^ "Genius Products Announces Exclusive DVD and Digital Rights Distribution Agreement with Pure Flix Entertainment". BusinessWire.com. Business Wire. 11 March 2014. Archived from the original on September 10, 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2014. BusinessWire Genius
  4. ^ "Pure Flix Production Company Box Office History". The Numbers. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  5. ^ "Pure Flix Entertainment LLC". Pure Flix Entertainment. Pure Flix. Archived from the original on 2007-05-09. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  6. ^ "A conversation with Pure Flix's David A.R.White: Faulty brakes, broken radiator, spiritual battles—and the Lord's favor (Part 3) « Word News".
  7. ^ ""Heaven is for Real" is a compelling story, not a canned sermon". 17 April 2014.
  8. ^ "Byron Jones – Mountain Top Entertainment".
  9. ^ "Pure Flix Entertainment LLC". www.pureflixentertainment.com. Archived from the original on 9 January 2007. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Randy Travis Still Inspiring Others After Stroke". 4 July 2019.
  11. ^ Mia Galuppo, hollywoodreporter.com, Faith-Based Company Pure Flix Launches Theatrical Distribution Arm, US, November 17, 2015
  12. ^ Katherine Rosman, nytimes.com, Forget Netflix and Chill. Try Pure Flix and Pray., New York, April 22, 2017
  13. ^ "New Production Releases On DVD November 17". Breathcast. November 18, 2009. Archived from the original on March 11, 2012. Retrieved December 12, 2009.
  14. ^ Donovan, Kevin P. (November 23, 2009). "Pro-Life Movie Starring Rebecca St. James Hits Stores". The Christian Post. Retrieved December 12, 2009.
  15. ^ Jokich, Alex; Greg Miller (April 13, 2010). "Movie Shoot Aboard S.S. Badger". WWTV. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
  16. ^ Faughnder, Ryan (11 April 2014). "Can 'God's Not Dead' relive its early success this weekend?". Box Office. Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 17 April 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2014. The indie film about a college student who debates his atheist professor about the existence of God has grossed about $35 million in ticket sales so far, making it one of the biggest surprises of the year, with little sign of stopping as it enters its fourth weekend in theaters.
  17. ^ Sandler, Jennifer (10 July 2014). "Lionsgate Acquires Domestic Digital, VOD and Television Distribution Rights to Faith-Based Box Office Hit 'God's Not Dead'". The Wall Street Journal.
  18. ^ Patrick Hipes (17 November 2015). "'God's Not Dead' Producer Pure Flix Launches Theatrical Distribution Arm". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 2016
  19. ^ Gene Maddaus (2016-12-19). "PureFlix Lets Users Delete Words Like 'Hell' and 'Damn'". Variety.com. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
  20. ^ "Hollywood movie house launches free curriculum for home-school families". Deseret News. 2016-09-19. Retrieved 2023-07-06.
  21. ^ Kevin Porter (November 2016). "Pure Flix, NHCLC Transform Hispanic Roles in Hollywood With Ambitious Film Industry Project". The Christian Post.
  22. ^ Jerry Bowyer, The Case For "The Case For Christ" And Other Christian-Themed Films, forbes.com, USA, September 25, 2017
  23. ^ Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. "Pure Flix Entertainment & Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Enter Into Long Term, Multi-year Distribution Agreement". CISION® PR Newswire (Press release). Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  24. ^ Ortega, Jeannie (2020-11-13). "Sony buys Christian streaming service Pure Flix to further reach faith audience". The Christian Post. Retrieved 2023-07-06.
  25. ^ a b Faughnder, Ryan (2020-11-12). "Seeking Christian viewers, Sony acquires 'God's Not Dead' producers' streaming service". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  26. ^ "Pure Flix Rebrands as Pinnacle Peak Pictures". The Hollywood Reporter. 2021-01-22. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  27. ^ Efrem Graham. "'God's Not Dead' Creators Hope for Double Blessing". Christian Broadcasting Network. Retrieved 2016-11-04.
  28. ^ Jeannie Law (December 2016). "'God's Not Dead 3' Is in the Works, Says Actor-Producer David AR White (Interview)". The Christian Post.
  29. ^ "God's Not Dead 2". Boxofficemojo.com. 2016-04-01. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
  30. ^ Alissa Wilkinson (December 2016). "How 2016's movies and TV reflected Americans' changing relationship with religion". Vox.
  31. ^ Don Thrasher. "7 fast facts about Newsboys before Fraze show". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved 2016-11-05.
  32. ^ Alissa Wilkinson (November 2016). "Mike Pence's church pitch, the Johnson Amendment, and the decline of the religious right". Vox.
  33. ^ Emma Koonse. "'God's Not Dead' Earns Two Prestigious Awards, Sequel Film in Development". The Christian Post. Retrieved 2016-11-04.
  34. ^ "What if..." AllMovie. 2010. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  35. ^ "Jerusalem Countdown". AllMovie. 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  36. ^ Buchanan, Jason (2012). "Apostle Peter and the Last Supper". AllMovie. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  37. ^ "Book of Esther". AllMovie. 2013. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  38. ^ "The Book of Daniel". AllMovie. 2013. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  39. ^ "God's Not Dead". YouTube: GodsNotDeadTheMovie. 14 August 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  40. ^ McNary, Dave (28 October 2014). "AFM: Faith-Based 'Do You Believe?' Aims to Match 'God's Not Dead' Success". Variety. Archived from the original on 3 February 2015. Retrieved 14 June 2015. "Do You Believe?" focuses on a dozen different lives that intersect on the streets of Chicago, starting with a local pastor (Ted McGinley) being moved by the visible faith of an old street-corner preacher, played by Delroy Lindo.
  41. ^ webadmin (7 April 2015). "Woodlawn: Dare to Believe Will Come to Theaters in October". PeopleNet. Archived from the original on 6 October 2015. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  42. ^ Jeannie Law. "Ex-Atheist Lee Strobel's Journey From Atheism to Christ Hits Theaters in Spring 2017 (Trailer)". The Christian Post. Retrieved November 2016
  43. ^ robesonian (2018-08-17). "Avondale releases 2 films, start work on 3rd". Robesonian. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
  44. ^ Unplanned Movie (31 January 2019), Unplanned Official Trailer – In Theaters March 29, retrieved 2019-02-04
  45. ^ Bonifield, Thomas (2021-07-26). "October Premiere Date Set for "God's Not Dead: We the People"". Christian Film Blog. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
  46. ^ Bryan Welk (April 29, 2020). "DJ Caruso Adapts Romance Novel 'Redeeming Love' With Abigail Cowen, Tom Lewis". The Wrap. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  47. ^ Arkin, Daniel (August 5, 2018). "How a faith-based movie studio is seizing the moment in Trump's America". NBC News. NBC Universal.
  48. ^ "Pure Flix / Quality Flix". Quality Flix. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  49. ^ Lamm, Olivia (2019-04-09). "Unplanned: How it has been censored and why it is significant". Mississippi Center for Public Policy. Retrieved 2020-03-04.
  50. ^ "'Unplanned' makes twice the expected box office sales despite social media censorship". www.christianpost.com. April 2019. Retrieved 2020-03-04.
  51. ^ "'Unplanned' finally coming to Canada after de facto ban of pro-life film". www.christianpost.com. 17 June 2019. Retrieved 2020-03-04.
  52. ^ Wilner, Norman (2019-07-09). "The manufactured controversy over anti-abortion movie Unplanned". NOW Magazine. Retrieved 2020-03-04.
  53. ^ Jeltsen, Melissa (17 April 2019). "The Anti-Abortion Movie 'Unplanned' Is Loaded With Dangerous Lies". Huffington Post.
  54. ^ Wilkinson, Alissa (2016-03-30). "I'm a Christian and I Hate Christian Movies". Thrillist. Retrieved 2020-03-04.
  55. ^ Wilkinson, Alissa (2018-04-03). "How the Christian movie series God's Not Dead fails to be Christian". Vox. Retrieved 2020-03-04.
  56. ^ "A Christian critic wrestles with new biblical films and the hope of a better 'faith-based' cinema". Los Angeles Times. 2018-03-30. Retrieved 2020-03-04.
  57. ^ "The Catholic Film Alliance and a Rebirth of Religious Patronage of the Arts". National Review. 2019-06-30. Retrieved 2020-03-04.
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