10 Images

Religious movies at the box office

Click through to see a sampling of significant religious movies and their box office numbers of the past. (Casey Crafford/MCT / Niko Tavernise/Paramount Pictures/AP / Jaimie Trueblood/New Line Productions)

‘The Ten Commandments’ | 1956

The classic Charlton Heston Exodus epic grossed $65 million at theaters. In today’s dollars, that equals nearly $1.1 billion, making it the sixth highest-grossing movie ever. (Unadjusted domestic gross: $65 million; Adjusted: $1.09 billion). (Handout)

‘Ben-Hur’ | 1959

Another New Testament Heston epic, “Ben-Hur” won 11 Academy Awards, including best picture, and was a big commercial success for MGM. Going by inflation-adjusted numbers, it’s the 13th highest grossing film ever. (Unadjusted domestic gross: $74 million; Adjusted: $818 million). (Handout)

‘The Passion of the Christ’ | 2004

The Mel Gibson-directed film, starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus, benefited from the endorsement of religious leaders, though it was questioned for biblical accuracy, perceived anti-Semitism and extreme violence. (Unadjusted domestic gross: $371 million). (Philippe Antonello / Marquis Films Ltd. / AP Photo)

‘The Nativity Story’ | 2006

Keisha Castle-Hughes (of 2002’s “Whale Rider”) played Mary, mother of Jesus, in this film from New Line Cinema. The $35-million picture earned less-than-rapturous reviews and had a modest box office pull. (Unadjusted domestic gross: $37.6 million). (Jaimie Trueblood / New Line Productions)

‘Courageous’ | 2011

More in the category of Christian-themed pictures than Bible epics, “Courageous” was directed by Alex Kendrick of 2008’s “Fireproof,” which posted similar box office numbers. “Courageous” follows four police officers struggling with their faith and family roles amid tragedy. (Unadjusted domestic gross: $34.5 million). (Tristar Pictures)

‘Son of God’ | 2014

The PG-13 Gospel adaptation uses footage from the History channel’s “Bible” miniseries created by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey. The film generated strong advance ticket sales from churches and religious groups, which have rented out cinemas for its opening. (Casey Crafford/MCT)

‘Noah’ | 2014

Going all the way back to Genesis, Darren Aronofsky’s biblical epic starring Russell Crowe has already stoked controversy over the faithfulness of its Noah’s Ark adaptation. (Niko Tavernise / Paramount Pictures / AP)

‘Heaven Is for Real’ | 2014

This Christian film with Greg Kinnear, pictured, is based on the book by Pastor Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent about a young boy who experiences Heaven during surgery. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

‘Exodus’ | 2014

The Fox epic, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Christian Bale as Moses, is slated to hit theaters in December. Pictured is one of the places chosen by Scott for the filming of “Exodus.” (Carlos de Saa / EPA)