Christian apparel company Kerusso has landed another movie deal.
The Berryville-based company is producing the officially licensed product line for War Room, which will be released Aug. 28 by TriStar Pictures.
The movie is the latest collaboration between the company and Christian filmmakers. Kerusso provided products for, among others, Fireproof (2008), starring Kirk Cameron, Courageous (2011), as well as Soul Surfer (2011) and Heaven Is for Real (2014), which grossed $101 million worldwide.
The product line for War Room includes T-shirts, caps, a mug and prayer note pads.
Vic Kennett, chief executive officer and founder of Kerusso, said it's a challenge to provide products that complement each film while staying true to the company's mission, which is "Proclaiming the Good News to the world through products about Jesus."
"Christian-themed filmmaking is really on the rise and we get offered a lot of opportunities for licensing, but we're very selective when deciding which projects to partner with," Kennett said. "If the script isn't scripturally sound, we pass. I've passed on some really big movies in the past because they just didn't support our mission."
Kennett started Kerusso in a spare room at his house in 1987. He started with three T-shirt designs and a $1,000 loan from his family. His vision was evangelism through T-shirts. By printing Christian messages on the shirts he could spread the Gospel and hopefully change lives.
"Studies have indicated that a graphic message T-shirt will be read as many as 3,000 times in its lifetime. It's a walking billboard that 'speaks' to anyone that sees it and also paves the way for some great conversations," Kennett said. "Our motto says it well: 'Change your shirt, change the world.'"
Today, the operation sits on 10 acres and has 100 employees.
The War Room collaboration is the latest the company has had with Kendrick Brothers Productions, which also produced Fireproof and Courageous. AFFIRM Films and Provident Films were also partners in the War Room project.
"Any time we can work with the Kendrick brothers is a true blessing, because their films are powerful and change lives -- and it is important to us that we make our products" just as effective, Kennett said.
According to promos for the movie, War Room tells the story of a young couple, Tony and Elizabeth, who seem to have it all but in reality their marriage is falling apart. Elizabeth finds hope in a new friend, who helps her create a "war room" and a "battle plan" to pray for her family. The T-shirts for the movie, two for women and one for men, feature Bible verses focusing on the power of prayer.
"The film is very moving," Kennett said. "After our private screening, everyone at Kerusso was moved to make products that really drive home the fact that prayer is indeed a powerful weapon."
Information on Kerusso is available online at kerusso.com and information on the movie is available at warroomthemovie.com.
Religion on 07/04/2015