Paramount Pictures on Tuesday took the unusual step of revealing internal studio research to counter the results of a dubiously worded survey released by a faith-centric organization that suggested little interest among religious audiences in its upcoming film Noah. The studio also took the rare step of criticizing a media outlet for publicizing that survey.
In an unusually forceful statement, Paramount said it "strongly disputes" an article posted on Variety.com that cited a Faith Driven Consumer survey claiming that 98 percent of respondents were “not satisfied with a biblically themed movie – designed to appeal to you – which replaces the Bible’s core message with one created by Hollywood.” The organization -- which was behind the petition to reinstate Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson following his suspension over anti-gay comments -- and a story on Variety.com with the headline "Survey: Faith-Driven Consumers Dissatisfied with ‘Noah,’ Hollywood Religious Pics," equated that general dissatisfaction with disapproval of the upcoming Noah movie.
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