"The Other Side of Heaven" was ranked 19th nationwide, the first time an "LDS Cinema" film has appeared in the national Top 20. The previous best ranking was 24th place, for "The Other Side of Heaven" in its 2nd week of release, when it expanded from 2 to 15 theaters. Before "Heaven", the highest weekly box office ranking by an "LDS Cinema" film was "Brigham City", which opened in 33rd place nationwide one year ago (April 6th, 2001 -- showing in 51 theaters).

Although "only" ranking 19th after its nationwide release, "The Other Side of Heaven" held its own on a per-screen basis. While "Heaven"'s nation-wide release meant that it played in 306 theaters, every film ranked above it but one was playing on at least 586 screens. "Heaven"'s per theater income was $2,251. To compare, "Clockstoppers", which finished the weekend ranked at #7 in terms of gross income, played in 2,512 theaters and had a per theater average of $1,852.

Excel Entertainment, the distributor of "The Other Side of Heaven," released a press release on Tuesday pointing out that the movie was ranked #1 nationwide on Monday night in terms of per-screen average. The press release specifically mentioned that this was because Monday night is widely observed as family night. The press release also quoted from Sheila Norman-Culp's largely complimentary Associated Press movie review. The release noted that the "US Conference of Catholic Bishops also applauded the film, calling it 'inspiring [and] sincere.'"

Although many movie reviewers from around the nation criticized the events portrayed in "The Other Side of Heaven", the audience response has been overwhelmingly positive. Reviewers almost universally praised the film's cinematography. The movie is expected to top $3 million this weekend, and could easily top $4.5 million within the next two months.

YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST: We have received word from a very talented Latter-day Saint film director that he will be directing a new movie this summer. We can't yet tell you who it is, but we can tell you that although he has already directed more than one feature film, none of his feature films have yet been released theatrically -- they've always been released on video. (This description could apply to at least 10 people, so don't be thinking you know who it is.)

WEIGH IN: The LDSFilm.com website has just added a page of entertaining interactive polls. The page is at: http://www.ldsfilm.com/polls.html
You can add your vote a variety of questions, such as:
What is your favorite "LDS Cinema" movie?
What is your favorite movie produced by Jerry Molen?
What is your favorite Kieth Merrill film commissoned by the Church? ("Testaments", "Legacy", or "Mr. Krueger's Christmas")
Which Tim Slover play would you most like to see as a feature film?
Which book by a Latter-day Saint author would you most like to see as a feature film?

NELEH WATCH: This week's episode of "Survivor: Marquesas" (known locally as "Survivor: Neleh") featured very little of our favorite castaway. The two tribes merged and the focus was largely on Rob and John (battling for control of the island), and on Kathy (marked for banishment by her back-stabbing former friends, and struggling for survival). Neleh did have one great, hilarious line ("Oh, what outfit should I wear tonight to tribal council?"), which served to break up the incredibly thick tension in the newly-combined tribe. In the beginning of the episode Neleh also discovered a human skull on the island. The good news is that Neleh has made it the final 9 people on the island, and she is guaranteed a spot on the last episode -- either as one of the final two competitors, or one of the jurors whose vote determines the winner. According to the "Next Episode" blurb, next week's episode will feature some focus on Neleh, but she may be in trouble...

THE UTAH HIGH SCHOOL FILMFEST, which was organized by West High School media instructor Sheridan Prince, was held on April 10th. The keynote speaker was Sandy resident Dave W. Phillips, vice-president and general manager of KUTV, Salt Lake City. Workshops were given by KUTV News reporter Peter Rosen, Apple Computer movie editing software expert Brad Caldwel, film editor Mike Bollinger, Utah filmmaker Trent Harris and KTVX master editor Tim Phillips.