in Louisville . We found three other partners to finance it . Then at the beginning of last year we started testing it and we took it to three major film companies , and one of them being Lionsgate . And because the testing was so high , it came in at 98 , these companies were interested , but we ended up with Lionsgate . They ’ re going to put it into 2,000 theaters . So long story short , it came out of Luke telling the story because they ’ d always get this big response at Compassion and it was him telling the story about us living in poverty . We ’ re out there showing the movie all over America because it touches people . The Tennesseean ran a story with us . The journalist watched the movie with her daughter and after it was all over , her 15-year-old daughter came to her and said , “ Mom , when the movie gets into theaters , let ’ s go and see it again ”. ( laughs ) Wow !
Alex , you know the culture . To connect with that wide demographic , it so gladdened my heart because we ’ ve had seven children , 15 grandchildren , now and another one coming . But what a wonderful message of Jesus to go wider . One of our goals and For King & Country is the ideal demographic , which is very hard to get to , which having been an industry executive and a musician , our goal is two to 82 and blow me down . That ’ s who we get to . We get to the little kids , to the grandparents , and even me telling you this , it ’ s emotional for me because you know . You ’ ve given your life to it Alex .
[ WM ] There ’ s not many things that go from two to 82 , maybe candy . ( laughs ) I have to confess that I teared up several times during my viewing of the film a few months ago here in Nashville when you had the pre-release , the writing , the casting , the continuity , the storytelling , was just superb . I ’ m not usually a big fan of Christian movies , but I was honored to attend the prescreening by your kind invitation David , and what an amazing story of hardship , faith , perseverance , and God ’ s provision through His people . For many upon hearing of someone ’ s misfortune or even a friend ’ s calamity , their response is simply to turn away and bury their heads . I ’ m not sure why this happens , and I count myself guilty of this at times . Perhaps it ’ s because the observer just doesn ’ t know what to say upon hearing bad news .
Or maybe it ’ s that the person was raised without much communication modeled to them . Or maybe bad news causes the observer to just simply shut down , not wanting to deal with it and feeling insecure about what they might be able to bring or not bring to the table , specifically hope and concern . So having gone through what the Smallbone family went through , I can only imagine how compassion and empathy have manifested from the Smallbone family in reaching out to others .
2 Corinthians 1:4 says that God comforts us in all our tribulation , so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves have been comforted by God . What say you ?
[ David ] I was so comforted by the church because when I came to town ( Nashville ), as you know , I spoke to everybody in the industry . You were very honest with me about how you felt we needed to go but really , I was viewed as a leper by the industry , yet loved on by the church . And so , whenever I hear how people are going through hard times , whatever I say to them , what I know from my life experience is that this is preparation for the future . And it ’ s like
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