The Nativity Story — Vatican premiere spotlights a new marketing tool

When a film about the story of Jesus' birth premieres at the Vatican Sunday, some 7,000 invited guests and religious leaders will see the latest "Bible story" brought to life by a major motion picture studio — one that scores of local religious leaders were recently asked to suggest to their congregations this holiday season.

"The Nativity Story," produced by Time Warner's New Line Cinema, retells the story of "one family, one journey and one child who would change the world forever." The film was screened locally at The Gateway last week for local evangelical pastors and other religious leaders, including representatives from the LDS Church's public affairs department. The host was Pastor Greg Johnson, who has worked for the past several years to get evangelicals and Latter-day Saints talking to each other.

The screening was typical of a new type of marketing venue that Hollywood is pursuing after Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" was successfully publicized through grass roots "word of mouth" by Christian leaders across the country.

Gibson's production had no major studio backing but ended up grossing more than $600 million worldwide.

Disney took notice, and much of the same marketing approach was used last Christmas with "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," which — like "The Passion," featured a Web site with resources that churches could access to use the film as a teaching tool in their congregations. "Narnia" was written by Christian scholar C.S. Lewis, and the film was widely billed among Christians as an analogy of Christ in the form of a children's story.

That film was among the most popular of the holiday season, earning Disney more than $740 million worldwide.

As he did with those films, Johnson spoke to church leaders gathered for the local screening of "The Nativity Story," lauding producers for taking on a Christian subject and urging pastors who were favorably impressed to suggest it to their congregations as a way of telling Hollywood that's what audiences want.

"It's a great film that allows people of any background, but particularly Christians, to be reminded of what the Christmas holiday is all about. ... When we complain, as people of faith, about the quality of movies, that there's 'nothing for the family,' we now have an opportunity to get behind something like this," Johnson said.