Vatican Newspaper Blasts 'Noah': 'Lost Opportunity…Noah Without God'

The Hollywood Reporter writes that the Vatican Newspaper “Avvenire” blasted Russell Crowe’s “Noah” as a “lost opportunity” that presented “Noah without God” and turned the Genesis story into something “ecologically, and vaguely new age, transforming the Biblical tale into a missed chance.”

In the run-up to the film’s release, Crowe and director Aronofsky publicly pressured Pope Francis for a meeting and endorsement of the film. Other than an audience with the Pope that every member  of the public is allowed to attend, that never happened. As far as a Vatican approval, THR writes that “According to Thursday’s editions of the Vatican newspaper ‘Avvenire,’ [they] didn’t get it.”

“Noah” opened to strong box office but dipped considerably in its second weekend. What looked like a blockbuster 10 days ago now looks like a film that might barely break even.

The dip in box office is likely based on two things: A lousy CinemaScore rating of “C” from those who had seen the film. There is also the bait-and-switch factor. Hollywood sold “Noah” as a biblical epic and was able to convince some in the Christian and Catholic media to go along. Once the film opened up to everyone, word quickly got out that “Noah” not only altered the story but was based on Gnostic teachings that present God as evil.