The movie NOAH drew publicity for its box office success and eccentric adaptation of Biblical material, while two smaller religious movies drew eager audiences with their more traditional messages.

The little-known stars in  GOD’S NOT DEAD told a moving story about a courageous student standing up to a bullying professor trying to force his class to affirm atheism. This message movie spent three weeks in the box office top five, drawing $35 million—many times its miniscule budget.

Meanwhile, HEAVEN IS FOR REAL recounts the true story of a 4-year-old surviving a near-death experience, describing his encounters with angels, Jesus and dead relatives. The excellent Greg Kinnear plays the boy’s pastor-father seeking to understand his son’s testimony. Both movies demonstrate an enthusiastic audience for earnest films that affirm faith, rather than deriding it.