SALT LAKE CITY - It began with "God's Army," a small movie about Mormon missionaries in Los Angeles that cost $240,000 to make and netted $2.6 million.
Since then, Mormon-themed movies have been flooding Utah screens.
Now some of the genre's own directors fear quality is succumbing to quantity.
"I wanted it to bring all these (Mormon) filmmakers and writers out of the woodwork," said Richard Dutcher, dubbed the "Mormon Spielberg" for directing "God's Army." "Now that I see how it's gone, however, I'd like some of them to go back into the woodwork."
Seven independent films for and about Mormons have popped up on local screens since 2000; five more are expected to open this spring.
The movies — most of which have played only regionally — have a 1950s sensibility about them: no sex, swearing or graphic violence. Church members are discouraged from watching R-rated films.
Recent works have included an earnest film about missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a murder mystery.
"The Singles Ward," a romantic comedy, is essentially a series of inside jokes about Mormons, including good-natured jabs at the church's polygamist past.
For example, at one point the romantic lead, who was dumped by his wife, turns to the camera and complains about the reaction he got from fellow church members: "Our ancestors were able to handle four or five wives and you can't handle one?"
Dutcher had hoped his movie's success would draw out the faithful in the entertainment business. Instead, he says, it has led to a series of poorly made movies with a Mormon stamp.
Sean Means, movie reviewer for Utah's largest newspaper, The Salt Lake Tribune, said films like "The Singles Ward," "Handcart" and "Charly" mark a sophomore slump for Mormon cinema. They're plagued by bad scripts and boring plots, he said.
Because they aren't good enough to succeed elsewhere, Means said, the movies end up being marketed squarely at locals. And there's enough of an audience in Utah to pull down some profit; the church claims 70 percent of Utah residents are Mormon.
"The Singles Ward" was made for $400,000 and made almost $1.5 million, said director and producer Kurt Hale. Now there are 200,000 copies at video stores.
When the nationally released "The Other Side of Heaven" — the story of a farm kid who becomes a missionary in the Tongan islands — hit theaters, 15-year-old Jennifer Eggett's grandmother declared it a family movie night for all 36 members of the clan.
"It made me cry," Jennifer said of the movie. "It's good for people to know the real truth about Mormons."
Means, however, said such films won't succeed if the quality flags.
"At the moment the mindset is: It's a movie about Mormons, lets go see it," he said. "But a few more movies of questionable quality and they'll get over it."
Hale plans to release two more Mormon-themed comedies: "The R.M.," about a missionary, which opens in Utah in January, and "Church Ball," about church basketball leagues, to debut in January 2004.
There's no shortage of material or self-deprecating humor, Hale said. "We can make 50 movies based on how strange we are."