Will Narnia become Hollywood’s next successful foray in tapping into the Christian niche market? Churches across Britain are gearing up for the event.

Reuters reports that the world premiere of Disney’s Narnia in London on December 7 is being seen as an opportunity to popularize religion. Evangelists are distributing special packs, themed sermons are being prepared in Methodist churches, and one Anglican church is giving out free tickets to the movie.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is about four children who cross over into the magical world of Narnia and join in an epic war between the evil White Witch and the god-like lion Aslan. The movie is based on the C.S. Lewis classic, which has Christian themes and is seen as an allegorical tale.

Hollywood discovered that Christians are a niche market with major potential after The Passion of the Christ became a worldwide hit. The evangelical publishing company Christian Publishing and Outreach (CPO), which distributes material to 20,000 churches, was granted permission by Disney to use images from the film for its Narnia packs, which include posters and DVDs.

“A lot of churches have been ordering and will be staging their own events. We have seen very big demand across the range,” said Russ Bravo, development director for CPO. “We have a what-to-do guide, outlines that give ministers ideas on how to deliver sermons, material for Sunday schools.”

Christianity Magazine ran a cover story on how churches could promote a Christian message through the movie. “This could be as successful as The Passion of the Christ in triggering dialogue,” said editor John Buckeridge. “There is a Christian parable in there.”

St Luke’s, an Anglican church in the southeast English town of Maidstone, distributed free tickets to The Passion of the Christ, and is now doing the same with Narnia. “We are giving away 10,000 pounds worth of tickets to single-parent families in and around the area,” said a spokesman for the church. “It’s a Christmas gift from the church to families that may not be able to afford to go to the cinema.”






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