CNS STORY: 'Therese' has limited opening; promoters hope to reach 900 theaters

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CNS Story:

THERESE-OPENING Oct-13-2004 (770 words) With photos posted March 17. xxxn

'Therese' has limited opening; promoters hope to reach 900 theaters

By Nancy Frazier O'Brien
Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- "Therese," the long-awaited movie about the life of St. Therese of Lisieux, opened Oct. 1 at 32 theaters in 14 states, and its promoters eventually hope to reach 900 movie screens in the United States.

Unlike most other films, however, its scheduling is heavily dependent on the number of people in a particular area who register on the Web at www.theresemovie.com to indicate they would be interested in seeing the film. The registration is free.

Produced more than two years ago by the independent Luke Films of Portland, Ore., and financed by individual donations, "Therese" grossed more than $350,000 during its first weekend, ranking it No. 4 in per-location average among all 190 films playing around the country that weekend, Luke Films announced in a news release.

But, said Lourds Ambrose, head of film distribution for Luke Films, "'Therese' is not about box office figures. ... It is all about how many audiences are touched by the insight of the story."

St. Therese, also known as the Little Flower, entered a French Carmelite convent at the age of 15 and died of tuberculosis nine years later.

Among the theaters showing "Therese" on its opening weekend were six sites in California and five in Texas, as well as theaters in major metropolitan areas such as Chicago, Denver, New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Las Vegas and Portland.

Parishioners at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Little Flower in San Antonio were instrumental in bringing the film to their city for its Texas premiere Sept. 29, a day before the official opening and the same day as the national premiere in New York City.

Led by parishioner Rose Garcia, a team of some 40 volunteers from the basilica collected 20,000 signatures in two weeks at local Catholic churches in support of bringing "Therese" to San Antonio.

"I received a telephone call from film producer Leonardo Defilippis late Friday, Sept. 10, saying he had good news for San Antonio," Garcia told Today's Catholic, the archdiocesan newspaper in San Antonio.

She immediately called Discalced Carmelite Father John M. Suenram, pastor of the basilica, with the news.

Father Suenram told Today's Catholic that it was appropriate for San Antonio to host the Texas premiere, since it is home to the national shrine built in honor of St. Therese in 1931 with donations from around the world.

The shrine, declared a basilica in 1998, houses a painting of St. Therese done by her sister, Celine, and served as host to the saint's relics in San Antonio when they toured the United States for four months in 1999.

Tonya Lynne Wildhaber, director of media relations for Luke Films, told The Florida Catholic, Orlando's diocesan newspaper, in late September that, although no Florida theaters were among those with an Oct. 1 opening, its later scheduling in the state depended on interest generated through the Web site.

"As word gets out about the film, we're hopeful that Catholics throughout Florida will express interest in having it brought to their area," she said. "As more people register through the Web site, we'll be able to look at the numbers and determine what cities will receive the film next."

A distributor liaison reviews new registrations at the Web site daily. Once the targeted number of registrations for major cities has been reached, distributors are contacted and the film is sent out to theaters.

An announcement on the movie's Web site seemed to indicate that Floridians had been successful in showing their interest.

"Therese" was to open Oct. 15 in five Florida cities -- Jacksonville, Miami, Miami Beach, Tampa and Winter Park -- as well as at 18 other locations around the country, bringing the total number of states where the film will have aired to 21.

As of Oct. 13, additional openings were scheduled for Oct. 22 in Manchester, N.H., and Swansea, Mass., and Oct. 29 in South Bend, Ind.

The Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops classified the film as A-II -- adults and adolescents -- and said it is "not so much a textured spiritual portrait of the young French nun considered by Pope Pius X 'the greatest saint of modern times' but a series of hagiographic tableaus which may be edifying to many Catholic viewers."

"Therese" has been rated PG -- parental guidance suggested -- by the Motion Picture Association of America.

- - -

Contributing to this story were Carol Sowa in San Antonio and Julie Greene in Orlando.

END

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