God's Not Dead 2 is set to land on the box-office scene with openings in about 2,300 theatres in US on April 1, 2016.
The story is about a school teacher, played by Melissa Joan Hart, who tries to answer a question posed by a student from the scripture, which displeases the authorities. What follows is a series of courtroom arguments proving the innocence of the teacher. The student had asked her about the nonviolent views of Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi, to which she read Jesus' quotes from Bible.
"That's a lot more than the original and we were initially planning, but we think it's the right play, based on what we're seeing," Ken Rather, VP of Regal Entertainment which is in charge of distribution of the movie, told The Wrap.
According to Hart, the purpose of the film, made in a small budget of $10-$12 million, is to bolster the level of public discussions on faith.
"Our film really is merely about taking the conversation about faith in the public forum to a new level," she said.
Sadie Robertson, who is playing a student named Marlene, is a Christian and was very glad to star in the GND 2 as she wanted a role which reflected her true personality and gave her an opportunity to stand for her faith. She said that the movie will encourage and inspire all people.
"... Truly an amazing film. I am so honored that I got to be a part of this God's Not Dead Movement," Robertson told the Christian Post.
Robertson said that it was really important for her to star in the movie.
"I told myself in the beginning of this craziness that I would only do a movie if the part fits me exactly. If I really felt like this was going to be a good thing, going to be a good message, and the person I was playing was a lot like myself," she said. "It's a message that I want to share with people about standing up for your faith, saying I'm not ashamed. I'm excited for people to see it."
Two other faith-based movies were released this year, including "Risen" (release: Feb 19; opening $11.8 million; earnings $39 million), and "The Young Messiah" (release: Mar 11; opening $3 million; earnings $6.2 million)
God's Not Dead registered a profit of over 2,500% when it was released in 2014 with a budget of only $2 million and registered box office sales of $62 million.
