London, England - For Christian church leaders across Britain, Disney's "Narnia" blockbuster film could be the ideal way to pack the pews.
Evangelical publishers have sent out special packs to churches, Methodists prepared themed sermons and one Anglican church is giving out free tickets to single parents for "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe."
For Walt Disney Co. the film based on the C.S. Lewis classic offers a chance to recover at the box office after its latest quarterly losses.
For churches, the movie being given its world premiere in London on December 7 is a golden opportunity to tap into mainstream culture and popularize religion.
The evangelical publishing company Christian Publishing and Outreach (CPO), which distributes material to 20,000 churches, approached Disney and was granted permission to use two images from the film for its "Narnia" packs.
"A lot of churches have been ordering and will be staging their own events. We have seen very big demand across the range," said Russ Bravo, development director for CPO which is providing posters, DVDs, invitation cards and folders.
"We have a what-to-do guide, outlines that give ministers ideas on how to deliver sermons, material for Sunday schools," he said.
The book tells the tale of four children who step through a wardrobe into the magical world of Narnia for a classic good-versus-evil clash between a wicked witch and the god-like lion Aslan.
"There are clear Christian parallels you can draw from the storyline," Bravo said."
NICHE MARKET
Christians are now recognized by Hollywood as a valuable niche market after Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" was a surprise $600 million worldwide hit.
"The Passion really surprised Hollywood. Everyone thought it would bomb. What they didn't realize was that there is an audience for a film with a Christian message," said John Buckeridge, editor of Christianity Magazine.
"Disney recognizes the marketplace. In Hollywood, money talks," said Buckeridge, whose magazine ran a cover story on how churches could link into Narnia's release to promote a Christian message.
"This could be as successful as 'The Passion of the Christ' in triggering dialogue. There is a Christian parable in there," he told Reuters.
Manchester Cathedral in northern England staged a Narnia day, the Methodist organization MethodistChildren wrote a special Narnia service and Church of Scotland moderator David Lacy said it was common sense to seize the opportunity.
"The Church would be daft not to capitalize on any benefits it can get out of it," Lacy said.
St Luke's, an Anglican church in the southeast English town of Maidstone, hit on a winning formula and gained much media coverage when distributing free tickets to Gibson's controversial version of the crucifixion.
Now they are to repeat the offer with Narnia.
"We are giving away 10,000 pounds worth of tickets to single-parent families in and around the area," said a spokesman for the church. "It's a Christmas gift from the church to families that may not be able to afford to go to the cinema."