What One Poll Says Hollywood Must Do to Attract Christians

With so many faith-themed films releasing this year, many are dubbing 2014 "the year of the Bible." But as movies like "Noah," "Moms' Night Out" and "God's Not Dead" hit theaters and Hollywood begins to test faith-based waters, a new poll shows that Christians have some clear-cut expectations.

When it comes to Hollywood story-telling, 79 percent of believers and 71 percent of all those surveyed in a poll by Christian News Service and American Insights said that "historical and biblical accuracy is important" when they consider seeing a faith-themed movie.

The poll also found that 66 percent of all adults and 74 percent of Christians said they'd be likely to see a God-themed movie, according to the Christian Examiner.

A scene from "Noah" (Image source: Paramount Pictures)

According to a press release, the findings show that "the faithful won’t be duped by movies that are Christian in name only."

Charles Parlato, executive producer of "Nicaea" a film coming in 2016 about the Council of Nicaea and Jesus, echoed this sentiment in the release, saying that historical accuracy is key.

"Taking liberties with the Bible for dramatic purposes like Dan Brown did in 'The Da Vinci Code' or the more recent film ‘Noah’ is nothing new in Hollywood," he said. "Brown’s contentions are clearly false, and I am not willing to let his interpretation of history stand unchallenged."

Showing just how important biblical and historical accuracy is among Christians, consider that 80 percent of believers plan to see "Exodus," the upcoming movie about Moses, if it remains true to the scriptures. But that proportion drops to only 29 percent if the film deviates.

Image source: MomsNightOutMovie.com

The survey, which included interviews with 1,200 Americans, was released following intense controversy over "Noah," a film that deviated from the Bible's account of the epic flood story.

Films like "God's Not Dead" and "Moms' Night Out," though, have been widely regarded in a positive light by Christian audiences.

(H/T: Christian Examiner)