Filming for the right

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By Christian Toto

"The Passion of the Christ" identified a long-neglected market niche: religious conservatives eager to hit the cineplex for just the right movie.

Secular conservatives remain an unreliable box-office constituency, if the returns for "An American Carol" are any indication.

The new comedy, from "Airplane!" creator David Zucker, earned just $3.8 million during its opening weekend on 1,639 screens, according to boxofficemojo.com. That's despite heavy media coverage and a barrage of "Carol"-friendly chatter from conservative talk-radio heavyweights including Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.

One can blame the mediocre trailer or the lack of A-list stars, but conservatives have insisted they have been waiting for a film that reflects their values, as "Carol" does in nearly every frame.

Mr. Zucker's movie uses the "Christmas Carol" template to debunk liberal dogma, skewer Oscar-winning director Michael Moore and trumpet red-state values.

Blue staters, who often have their pick of film selections, showed more love for the atheist battle cry "Religulous." The confrontational Bill Maher documentary, which also benefited from a free-media tailwind, earned $3.5 million on just 502 screens.

In even sharper contrast to the satirical "Carol" was the inspirational feature "Fireproof," starring Kirk Cameron. Playing on 852 screens in its second week of release, the low-budget film rode a marketing campaign targeted to a conservative Christian audience to another $4 million, proving it's not a fluke but a film that truly hit a nerve with the public.

David Bossie, president of the conservative group Citizens United, says "Carol's" modest opening could hurt like-minded films in the short term.

Nevertheless, Mr. Bossie is optimistic about the genre's future.

"This is a test of what can be done. I believe there's gonna be many more," Mr. Bossie says. "This needs to be seen as the first of many films, not a solitary event."