FAITH DEALERS.

HOLLYWOOD (Los Angeles, Calif.); LOS Angeles (Calif.); CALIFORNIA

This article reports that the Hollywood entertainment industry has become fervent in courting the Christian community in Los Angeles, California. For a mainstream film, marketers say they may earmark a small percentage of their overall budgets to targeting Christians, though they now consider the audience a key demographic. For movies with a message, they might focus solely on this audience. Studios are looking for any relevant hook to position a movie, overtly religious or not, to the faith community. Sony's boutique label Screen Gems predictably targeted the church for The Gospel, a $4 million movie that stunned Hollywood by landing in the Top 10 with $8 million at the box office and double the per-screen average of the No. 1 movie Wallace & Gromit. Screen Gems also tapped into the faith community for The Exorcism of Emily Rose, a modestly budgeted movie that has pulled in $72 million. INSET: 'Left Behind' tries new approach for old story.