The faith-based film is climbing the sales charts as it closes in on its release date.
We would like to say right up front that what follows is not meant to be boastful, but rather to serve as an expression of our profound amazement at, and gratitude for, the incredible blessings our almighty and loving heavenly Father has showered upon us: we are humble and undeserving servants and understand that clearly.
Now then, if you read these pages regularly, you know that Miracle on Christmas, written and directed by yours truly, is our inaugural feature film. And over the last eight months or so, we have endeavored to give readers of Christian Film Blog periodic peeks behind the curtain, so to speak, at the project.
Though we have heretofore largely ignored financial aspects of the production - since that's never been the top priority of our endeavor - they are nonetheless an important consideration. After all, as a financier of faith-based films once put it to us, "They don't call this the movie party: they call it the movie business." And trust us when when we tell you there is nothing like the expenditure of hundreds of thousands of dollars to bring that reality into crystal clear focus.
All of which is to say that the film's financial performance is, indeed, something we are mindful of. So it is with extreme thankfulness to God - and sincere gratitude to all of you who have supported the movie - we report that with just days to go before its debut, Miracle on Christmas has reached new sales highs in the two categories where Amazon ranks it. The film, which is available for pre-order there, topped out this week at number 737 among all the best-selling movies and TV shows and at 118 in the "Drama DVDs" group.
While those numbers may not at first glance strike you as all that impressive, we are simply floored. Why? Because when the movie initially went up on the internet-retail behemoth's website just over a month ago, it was ranked 27,790th in the former category and 6,311th in the latter, meaning its rise up the charts has been nothing short of meteoric!
A bit more context makes it all the more striking. First, the movie has never been on TV or in theaters, unlike virtually every other picture ranked anywhere near that high on Amazon's lists. Second, save a few critics and family members, NO ONE has even seen Miracle on Christmas since it has not gone into release yet. Why, with coronavirus restrictions rendering a premiere unworkable, even the cast and crew have not watched the movie.
For the sake of presenting a complete picture, we acknowledge that we have done about a dozen local media appearances, consistently hit social media and gotten one review from a nationally known Christian organization. All of that has, to be sure, had a positive impact on those Amazon pre-orders, but we continue to marvel at God's power to direct events to His glory, which is also our first and foremost aim: to give Him His due, as we strive mightily to achieve in Miracle on Christmas, a film Movieguide says sets "a Christmas mood" by "spreading the joyful message of the Savior's birth."
So we are counting on Him to touch the hearts of multitudes through this picture. And that means it must be seen by multitudes, which is why DVDs of the movie are available for pre-order right now not just at Amazon, but also at Walmart and Target; you can choose from among them via this link to the movie's website. Said DVDs will also appear on store shelves at the two brick-and-mortar retailers on Tuesday, November 3rd, when Miracle on Christmas releases, and digital access will be available via Amazon.