Fresh from a box office run in the United States that took critics and cultural observers by surprise, the pro-life movie “Unplanned” drew heavy attendance at its opening weekend in Canada, July 12-14.
Although it was shown in only 50 theaters, it racked up $7,041 per screen, which made it the second highest in North America for that weekend and put it in the top five of Indie film releases’ opening weekends in 2019, according to LifeSiteNews.com.
The film, starring Ashley Bratcher, powerfully presents the transformation of Abby Johnson, a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic director, into a pro-life advocate. Her moment of truth came on September 26, 2009, when she assisted with an ultrasound-guided abortion of a 13-week-old baby. She viewed up close the suction-induced abortion as the baby fought to get away from the abortionist’s vacuum tube.
Shown via computer generated imagery, the brief sequence has elicited gasps and tears from audience members all over the United States and now in Canada.
Released in more than 1,000 American theaters in March, the film garnered an A+ CinemaScore rating, (audience reaction), and grossed more than $18 million, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com.
See now in Canada
The film’s Canada debut was delayed because of political correctness, according to LifeSiteNews.com. Producers had difficulty finding a distributor due to fierce opposition from the abortion industry and its allies.
“Unplanned” was written, produced and directed by Cary Solomon and Chuck Konzelman, who were surprised by its Canadian success, according to LifesiteNews.
“We expected a solid opening, but the No. 2 highest per-screen average in all of North America is something we couldn’t have predicted,” Konzelman said in an email.
Opening Weekend in the US
During the film’s opening weekend in the United States, Timothy Partners Ltd., advisor to the Timothy Plan, bought out seven theaters in a 20-theater complex in Orlando and packed them out on March 26.
“It was a real hit since these 500 ‘free’ tickets paid for by Timothy were snapped up within 24 hours,” said Timothy Plan founder and president Art Ally. “At the movie’s conclusion, we asked the audience to remain for a couple of minutes while we introduced the directors of 11 of our pro-life, crisis pregnancy centers.”
In 2018, Timothy Partners bought out an Orlando theater to show “Gosnell,” the acclaimed film starring Dean Cain as a detective who helped bring late-term abortionist and infant killer Kermit Gosnell to justice.
Timothy Partners supports Orlando-based Choices Women’s Clinic, which is a chain of crisis pregnancy centers, and other pro-life ministries.
And Then There Were None
Abby Johnson now heads a nonprofit ministry, And Then There Were None, devoted to helping others to leave the abortion industry.
“When a clinic worker does decide to leave the abortion industry it’s usually because they suddenly realize that they have been living, believing, and speaking a lie,” she writes. “They have been betrayed. They have betrayed others. It’s a terrible feeling. I can’t think of any feeling that is worse.
“You thought you were the good guy, only to discover that you were the enemy the entire time. So, these workers now have to put their trust in a group of people, the pro-lifers, who they were led to believe, over and over again, were their enemy. The first step is a leap of faith, reaching out to ask for help.
“Hopefully, they find a group of pro-life individuals that are ready and willing to help. Hopefully, this group of pro-life workers will get them in contact with people who can help them get a job, get them on the pathway to spiritual and emotional healing, or get them in contact with someone who can help.”
A writer for Timothy Partners, Ltd. He is a regular weekly columnist for The Washington Times and Townhall.com and is frequently published by AmericanThinker.com, DailyCaller.com, OneNewsNow.com, and others. He has authored the following books: “A Strong Constitution: What Would America Look Like If We Followed the Law” (D. James Kennedy Ministries, 2018), Invested with Purpose: The Birth of the Biblically-Responsible Investment Movement, and A Nation Worth Fighting For: 10 Steps to Restore Freedom.
