Sherwood Pictures’ film ‘Courageous’ set for DVD release

ALBANY — As the fourth film made by the moviemaking arm of Sherwood Baptist Church begins to wind down its theatrical run, officials are looking at the next step for the movie’s distribution.

“Courageous,” released by Sherwood Pictures on Sept. 30, will be coming out on DVD Jan. 17.

This latest bit of news was released as the box office gross from the film neared the $33.4 million that poured into theaters during the run of “Fireproof,” Sherwood’s third film, in 2008.

Stephen Kendrick, senior associate pastor at Sherwood and a producer of the film, said the church has received roughly 200-300 emails on a daily basis from people who have been moved by “Courageous.”

“We’ve heard from many men who abandoned their families that have been inspired to go back,” Kendrick said. “We’ve also heard from mothers who have said that their husbands have been good dads, and they are now great dads.

“Others are saying that they are learning to forgive their parents now.”

The DVD will be available everywhere DVDs are sold. There is an exclusive collector’s edition, containing more than two hours of special features, that will likely be available only at Christian bookstores. The special features on the collector’s edition will include a 22-minute “Making of Courageous,” a Casting Crowns music video, outtakes and 20 minutes of deleted scenes.

“There was a lot more work put into this than with the previous films,” Kendrick said.

Cost of the collectors package is expected to be $25, or $35 for the DVD and Bluray pack. It will be available with subtitles in English, Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, French, Vietnamese, German and Korean.

The “Fireproof” DVD was released in 75 countries, and officials, including Kendrick, have the same hopes for “Courageous.”

“We’ve gotten emails from various countries talking about ‘Fireproof’,” he said. “Our hope is that ‘Courageous’ will do the same if not better (on DVD).

“Fatherhood is a global issue.”

Based on the most recent data available from Box Office Mojo, “Courageous” has made $32.4 million in the nearly eight weeks it has been in theaters. On its opening weekend, it made $9.1 million — thereby obtaining a No. 4 rank while playing in 1,161 theaters.

Its widest release was in 1,214 theaters. As of late Monday, it was playing in 517 theaters and was ranked No. 92 among the top movies for the past 365 days.

Following its September release in Canada and the United States, the film was later released at theaters in Australia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Honduras.

It is expected to open in Mexico on Friday. Over the next four months, it will eventually be shown in Bolivia, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Peru, Columbia and Venezuela.