Word: preacherly
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African-American filmmakers and critics contend that white audiences would cross color lines if Hollywood had enough faith to spend more money on quality black films. Quality is a subjective term, of course, but in the case of The Preacher's Wife, many industry insiders believe Disney has demonstrated that faith. Yet even those who have seen it and liked it are concerned about the film's commercial prospects. "It's a beautiful picture," says John Krier of Exhibitor Relations, a firm that tracks box-office results. Nonetheless, he says, several theater operators are worried. "How can they convince white...
...that it opens this weekend opposite Jerry Maguire, a Tom Cruise vehicle. One encouraging sign for Disney is that the studio's research shows women expressing more interest in seeing Denzel and Whitney than Tom. But an executive at a rival studio argues that the research on The Preacher's Wife is skewed because the sampling was done in major cities; a closer look, he says, shows that the picture is evoking a powerful response from African Americans but far weaker interest among whites. He predicts that The Preacher's Wife will gross from $60 million to $80 million, drawing...
...most ways The Preacher's Wife is as traditional a Christmas confection as fossilized fruitcake. It has a big budget, big stars and a heartwarming rendition of Joy to the World. The songs are sung by diva Whitney Houston, who plays the wife of a disillusioned minister. Her co-star, Denzel Washington, is a sexy angel who wants to save Houston's neighborhood church as well as her troubled marriage. On paper, the movie looks as if it has all the ingredients for a box-office slam dunk. But there's one thing missing: white people...
...executives who run Hollywood have long believed that white audiences stay away from black-themed movies--outside of the time-tested action genre, that is. At $60 million-plus, The Preacher's Wife is by far the costliest all-black picture ever produced, making it one of the industry's most closely watched films during this busy holiday season. Of course, even defining what a "black" film is can be tricky. Studios generally affix that label to a picture that not only has a predominantly black cast but also deals with African-American themes. Thus, for movie executives, an Eddie...
This is the season of superdivas: Whitney Houston, Barbra Streisand and Madonna. Each is starring in a major holiday film (Houston in The Preacher's Wife, Streisand in The Mirror Has Two Faces and Madonna in Evita), and each is featured on the sound track of her film. Houston's Preacher (in stores Nov. 12) represents a change of pace for the mainstream megastar. Half the CD is pop, and half is gospel, a genre that should provide Houston with a vocal challenge worthy of her abilities. Streisand's Mirror (Nov. 12) also offers a mix; it's mostly music...