"Unplanned": box office success despite media censorship

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By William Mahoney, Ph.D.

The pro-life movie Unexpected opened at $ 6.1 million over the weekend and has been very successful despite the brutal censorship of Twitter and various television programs.

This is the second best opening for Pure Flix, the denominational studio that produced God is not dead, which had the first best opening weekend at $ 7.6 million.

Twitter had suspended the Unexpected Twitter account of the film over the weekend, removing even nearly 85,000 of their followers. The followers were jostled and unable to follow the story of the film, which led Mike Tokes to call the actions of Twitter "conservative censorship".

Militant Church was among the accounts that could not keep up Unexpected on Twitter.

The Daily Caller News Foundation contacted Twitter to ask questions about censorship. Twitter claimed that a suspended account – which has not been revealed – has also resulted in the suspension of related accounts. After receiving negative feedback, Twitter has since reinstated the Unexpected Account.

Large networks such as Lifetime, Hallmark Channel and HGTV have participated in their own form of "conservative censorship" by refusing to run commercials for the film. Their marketers refused to give in, leaving Fox News the only major advertising channel for the film.

Pure Flix also had trouble getting music licenses. They were denied the use of "Girls just want to have fun" from Cyndi Lauper, "The Day of the Dead" by Oingo Boingo, "The story of my life" The Fray, "How to Save a Life" and "The Guardian Suite" by Trevor Rabin. "

Brad Slager, of RedState, commented: "These attempts to stifle an alternative voice on a political topic are a clear indicator of what conservatives typically face in the entertainment industry."

Despite all this "conservative censorship" Unexpected surprised reviews with a good start to the week.

While Beachbum bombs and Dumbo disappoints Unexpected surprises, according to Scott Mendelson in Forbes. Written and directed by Cary Solomon and Chuck Konzelman, the film "outperformed" this weekend, which Mendelson sees as "a big win, because most faith-based companies still come from Sony and Lionsgate, unlike different small distributors ".

Unexpected is based on the book by Abby Johnson, Unplanned: the true dramatic story of a former family planning manager, which was published by Tyndale House in 2014.

Abby Johnson was one of the youngest clinic directors in an abortion center. She worked there for eight years, even winning the "Employee of the Year" award.

These attempts to silence an alternative voice on a political issue are a clear indicator of what conservatives are usually facing in the entertainment industry.

Once, she witnessed an ultrasound-guided abortion and was horrified to see a child in the womb fighting for her life while she was systematically dismembered alive.

Her experience has led her to leave her well-paid job and move away from the country's largest abortion chain, Planned Parenthood.

Abby then founded an organization called And then there was no one (ATTWN) to help others get away from the abortion industry.

Unexpected tell this story.

In an interview with Abby Johnson about this movie, the Archbishop of Kansas City, Joseph Naumann, said, "We do not really have any enemies, we only have people who n & # 39; Have not yet been able to see the truth. "

This film shows the truth about abortion. For example, Traci Devette Griggs of the NC Family Policy Council summarizes the film's impact:

Whether you are a lifelong advocate of life who needs a reminder or a person who is suffering from regrets after the abortion, Unexpected is a movie with a message that will resonate with you, maybe your whole life. It also encourages those who seem determined to do something about abortion – you absolutely can not be both pro-life and pro-choice after watching this movie.

James Hirsen at Newsmax calls Unexpected a film "must see" and adds: "In the honor of all the babies who had to undergo the procedure of which Abby has witnessed and worse, let's all see" Unplaned ".

The film has been added to more than 700 theaters across the country. If you have not seen it yet, you can see where it is playing near you by following the link tweeted by the movie's Twitter account.

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