The faith-based, adoption-themed movie Lifemark opened at No 7 in theatres over the weekend, marking the sixth straight time that a movie made by filmmaking brothers Alex and Stephen Kendrick opened in the Top 10.
The film grossed an estimated R38.5-million to notch the seventh spot just ahead of the No 8 movie Beast (R31.5-million).
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Lifemark finished even higher in per-theatre average (R25 239.89) at No 3. On the popular movie website RottenTomatoes.com, it received an impressive audience score of 97%.
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The film tells the story of an 18-year-old high school student who – with the encouragement of his adoptive parents – embarks on a journey to meet his birth mom.
It was produced by veteran Christian filmmakers Alex and Stephen Kendrick, who previously made Fireproof (2008), Courageous (2011), War Room (2015), Overcomer (2019) and Show Me the Father (2021). All five of those films opened in the Top 10. (War Room was the No 1 movie in America on its second weekend.)
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It stars Kirk Cameron as the adoptive father and Raphael Ruggero in the lead role. Kevin Peeples directed it.
Lifemark is based on a true documentary, I Lived on Parker Avenue.
“Kirk Cameron called us [in 2019] … and he said, ‘You’ve got to watch this,'” Alex Kendrick told Christian Headlines, referencing the documentary. “And we watched it, and it was powerful. … So we partnered with Kirk and made it into a feature film.”
Movie reviewer Michael Medved gave Lifemark three out of four stars, saying it’s “undeniably moving … with universally capable performances creating a range of sympathetic characters.” Avi Offer of NYC Movie Guru also gave the film high marks, writing, “A genuinely moving, inspirational and captivating journey with just the right balance of humor and heart.”
Actress Candace Cameron Bure (Kirk Cameron’s sister) is promoting the film, telling her Instagram followers, “even the trailer makes me tear up”.
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