Cloud Ten Pictures
Encyclopedia
Cloud Ten Pictures is a film production and distribution company located in St. Catharines, Ontario
, Canada
, specializing in Christian-themed films.
in 1994. The Lalonde brothers self-financed the company's early films, which consisted primarily of a series of documentaries relating to Christian theological issues. Prior to forming Cloud Ten, the LaLonde brothers had earned some notoriety in Christian Evangelical circles through their television program, This Week in Bible Prophecy.
The company's first feature film was Apocalypse (film) (1998), a low-budget thriller. The company has since produced three more films in the Apocalypse Series, Revelation (1999), Tribulation (2000) and Judgment (2001).
In 2000, Cloud Ten Pictures released Left Behind: The Movie
, based upon the first book in the popular Left Behind
book series, authored by Tim LaHaye
and Jerry Jenkins. Released into the video market on October 31, Left Behind: The Movie became one of the highest grossing videos of the year. . Byron M. Jones
the then VP of Entertainment said this "Already, the pre-orders for this sequel have outpaced those of the original LEFT BEHIND movie by almost 40%. Those numbers are impressive considering LEFT BEHIND was the #1 selling video in America its first week of release, beating out Toy Story 2 and The Green Mile. It also ended up being named the `Best-Selling Title of the Year by an Independent Studio". Cloud Ten also produced two sequels based upon the second book in the Left Behind book series, Left Behind: Tribulation Force (2002) and Left Behind: World at War
(2005). Cloud Ten released Left Behind: World at War via a coordinated nationwide screening in over 3,200 churches (compared with a typical 1,700 screens in a nationwidewhere? Canada-wide? theatrical release). The World at War release started a trend for Christian film church releases, and led Cloud Ten to launching its Church Cinema program. The marketing success of the Left Behind films generated significant publicity for the company and its founders, Peter and Paul Lalonde, who were referred to as “The Fabulous LaLonde Brothers” in a profile by GQ magazine.
Cloud Ten's success with the Left Behind films was marred by legal disputes with both their co-producers Namesake Entertainment and one of the authors of the popular book series, Tim LaHaye
. The dispute with LaHaye resulted in a series of legal actions, originally filed in 2000, which were finally settled in July 2008. The terms of the settlement are confidential, but Cloud Ten Pictures has stated that Tim Lahaye has the rights for one year to try to remake the Left Behind films. If he does not exercise those rights within one year, Cloud Ten Pictures will again have the rights to make Left Behind movies.
As of October 1, 2010 the rights to the Left Behind film series have officially been restored to the film company, Cloud Ten Pictures, and the company is planning a remake of the series. Cloud Ten hopes to start development on the remake by late 2011.
Cloud Ten released three films in 2008: Smuggler's Ransom, Genius Club and Saving God
. Both Smuggler's Ransom and Genius Club were acquired for distribution. Saving God
is a co-production with Clear Entertainment, and stars Ving Rhames
, Ricardo Chavira and Dean McDermott
. They also distributed The River Within
in 2009.
In mid-June 2003, production was supposed to begin on an animated remake of their film Left Behind: The Movie
. Cloud Ten's VP of films André van Heerden said "the storyline will be even closer to the original books than a live-action movie can be simply because of the freedom animation gives." This film will not be made though.
Shorty after the release of Left Behind: World at War
, a television show, based on Left Behind was in the planning stages for airing on the PAX television network. Planning for the television show went as far as casting calls in the United States and Canada, but creative differences on the direction the proposed television series should take, led Cloud Ten Pictures to abandon the project.
Also in the works is the fifth installment in their Apocalypse series. Christian author Greg Mitchell has written the script for the film, titled The Chosen. Mitchell is also working on a Graphic Novel
that will serve to connect the new film with the previous entry in the series, given the decade that has passed between movies.
, which distributed Left Behind: World at War.
On April 23, 2008, Cloud Ten announced new distribution deals with Koch Entertainment
and CNI Distribution. Koch will re-release all C10 films under their label.
St. Catharines, Ontario
St. Catharines is the largest city in Canada's Niagara Region and the sixth largest urban area in Ontario, Canada, with 97.11 square kilometres of land...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, specializing in Christian-themed films.
Overview
Cloud Ten was formed by brothers Peter LaLonde and Paul LaLondePaul LaLonde
Paul LaLonde is a Canadian/American film Producer/film writer and co-founder of the film company Cloud Ten Pictures. He was also a former co-host of the 1980s Biblical series This Week In Bible Prophecy with his brother Peter LaLonde. He co-produced the widely popular film Left Behind...
in 1994. The Lalonde brothers self-financed the company's early films, which consisted primarily of a series of documentaries relating to Christian theological issues. Prior to forming Cloud Ten, the LaLonde brothers had earned some notoriety in Christian Evangelical circles through their television program, This Week in Bible Prophecy.
The company's first feature film was Apocalypse (film) (1998), a low-budget thriller. The company has since produced three more films in the Apocalypse Series, Revelation (1999), Tribulation (2000) and Judgment (2001).
In 2000, Cloud Ten Pictures released Left Behind: The Movie
Left Behind: The Movie
Left Behind is a Christian based film released in 2000 and starring Kirk Cameron, Brad Johnson, Gordon Currie and Clarence Gilyard. It was directed by Vic Sarin. Left Behind was proclaimed by its creators as the biggest and most ambitious Christian film ever made...
, based upon the first book in the popular Left Behind
Left Behind
Left Behind is a series of 16 best-selling novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, dealing with Christian dispensationalist End Times: pretribulation, premillennial, Christian eschatological viewpoint of the end of the world. The primary conflict of the series is the members of the Tribulation...
book series, authored by Tim LaHaye
Tim LaHaye
Timothy F. LaHaye is an American evangelical Christian minister, author, and speaker. He is best known for the Left Behind series of apocalyptic fiction, which he co-wrote with Jerry B. Jenkins. He has written over 50 books, both fiction and non-fiction.-Early life:LaHaye was born in Detroit,...
and Jerry Jenkins. Released into the video market on October 31, Left Behind: The Movie became one of the highest grossing videos of the year. . Byron M. Jones
Byron M. Jones
Byron M. Jones is a Christian film producer and managing partner of Pure Flix Entertainment.-Cloud Ted:Jones started his career as Cloud Ten's VP of Entertainment, bringing movies such as Left Behind to the forefront of the industry Byron began his...
the then VP of Entertainment said this "Already, the pre-orders for this sequel have outpaced those of the original LEFT BEHIND movie by almost 40%. Those numbers are impressive considering LEFT BEHIND was the #1 selling video in America its first week of release, beating out Toy Story 2 and The Green Mile. It also ended up being named the `Best-Selling Title of the Year by an Independent Studio". Cloud Ten also produced two sequels based upon the second book in the Left Behind book series, Left Behind: Tribulation Force (2002) and Left Behind: World at War
Left Behind: World at War
Left Behind: World at War is a Christian Bible-based apocalyptic/thriller film and the third in the series of films based on the Left Behind book series. It was produced by Cloud Ten Pictures. The film premiered in churches on October 21, 2005 before its release on DVD and VHS on October 25, 2005...
(2005). Cloud Ten released Left Behind: World at War via a coordinated nationwide screening in over 3,200 churches (compared with a typical 1,700 screens in a nationwidewhere? Canada-wide? theatrical release). The World at War release started a trend for Christian film church releases, and led Cloud Ten to launching its Church Cinema program. The marketing success of the Left Behind films generated significant publicity for the company and its founders, Peter and Paul Lalonde, who were referred to as “The Fabulous LaLonde Brothers” in a profile by GQ magazine.
Cloud Ten's success with the Left Behind films was marred by legal disputes with both their co-producers Namesake Entertainment and one of the authors of the popular book series, Tim LaHaye
Tim LaHaye
Timothy F. LaHaye is an American evangelical Christian minister, author, and speaker. He is best known for the Left Behind series of apocalyptic fiction, which he co-wrote with Jerry B. Jenkins. He has written over 50 books, both fiction and non-fiction.-Early life:LaHaye was born in Detroit,...
. The dispute with LaHaye resulted in a series of legal actions, originally filed in 2000, which were finally settled in July 2008. The terms of the settlement are confidential, but Cloud Ten Pictures has stated that Tim Lahaye has the rights for one year to try to remake the Left Behind films. If he does not exercise those rights within one year, Cloud Ten Pictures will again have the rights to make Left Behind movies.
As of October 1, 2010 the rights to the Left Behind film series have officially been restored to the film company, Cloud Ten Pictures, and the company is planning a remake of the series. Cloud Ten hopes to start development on the remake by late 2011.
Cloud Ten released three films in 2008: Smuggler's Ransom, Genius Club and Saving God
Saving God
Saving God is a 2008 Christian drama film written by Michael Jackson and directed by Duane Crichton. The film stars Ving Rhames, Dean McDermott and Ricardo Chavira, and was released on DVD and Blu-Ray on October 18, 2008 by Cloud Ten Pictures and Clear Entertainment.- Plot :Saving God follows...
. Both Smuggler's Ransom and Genius Club were acquired for distribution. Saving God
Saving God
Saving God is a 2008 Christian drama film written by Michael Jackson and directed by Duane Crichton. The film stars Ving Rhames, Dean McDermott and Ricardo Chavira, and was released on DVD and Blu-Ray on October 18, 2008 by Cloud Ten Pictures and Clear Entertainment.- Plot :Saving God follows...
is a co-production with Clear Entertainment, and stars Ving Rhames
Ving Rhames
Irving Rameses "Ving" Rhames is an American actor best known for his work in Bringing Out the Dead, Pulp Fiction, Baby Boy, Don King: Only in America, and the Mission: Impossible film series.-Early life and education:...
, Ricardo Chavira and Dean McDermott
Dean McDermott
Dean McDermott is a Canadian-American actor best known in the United States for having married Victoria Davey "Tori" Spelling, with whom he appeared in the observational documentary shows Tori & Dean: Inn Love and Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood, and for having acted out the role of Constable...
. They also distributed The River Within
The River Within
The River Within is a 2009 film written and directed by Zac Heath. The film was produced by Inspired Life Films and Fabled Motion Pictures and released in theaters September 11, 2009 and on DVD November 10, 2009 by its distributor, Cloud Ten Pictures...
in 2009.
Documentaries
- Left Behind Docudrama (1994/1996 recut)
- Final Warning (1995)
- Startling Proofs (1995)
- Last Days: Hype or Hope? (1996)
- The Mark of the Beast (1997)
- Vanished (1999)
- The Gospel of the Antichrist: Exposed
- Racing to the End of Time (formerly: 2000 AD: Are You Ready?)
- Shadow Government (2009)
- Dragons or Dinosaurs? (2010)
- 12 Biggest Lies (2010)
Films
| # | Film | Theatrical release | Church release | DVD release | Blu-Ray release |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apocalypse | 1997 | Released | Released | — |
| 2 | Apocalypse II: Revelation Apocalypse II: Revelation Apocalypse II: Revelation is a 1999 Christian/thriller and sequel to Apocalypse by Cloud Ten Pictures.Three months have passed since the events of the previous film. Franco Macalousso has convinced many of those left behind that he is the true Messiah. But is he?Counter-terrorism expert Thorold... |
1999 | TBA | 1999 | — |
| 3 | Apocalypse III: Tribulation Apocalypse III: Tribulation Apocalypse III: Tribulation is a 2000 thriller film by Cloud Ten Pictures, starring Gary Busey, Howie Mandel, Nick Mancuso, and Margot Kidder... |
— | Released | Released | — |
| 4 | Left Behind: The Movie Left Behind: The Movie Left Behind is a Christian based film released in 2000 and starring Kirk Cameron, Brad Johnson, Gordon Currie and Clarence Gilyard. It was directed by Vic Sarin. Left Behind was proclaimed by its creators as the biggest and most ambitious Christian film ever made... |
February 2, 2001 | October 29, 2000 | — | |
| 5 | Apocalypse IV: Judgment Apocalypse IV: Judgment Apocalypse IV: Judgment is a 2000 Christian/Thriller film released by Cloud Ten Pictures.It is the imminent future. The world follows one government and one man. It is a world of peace, yet some doubt the authorities and seek to dethrone them.... |
— | — | March 16, 2001 | — |
| 6 | Left Behind II: Tribulation Force Left Behind II: Tribulation Force Left Behind II: Tribulation Force is a Christian Bible-based apocalyptic/thriller film, and the second in a series of films based on the Left Behind book series written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. It was produced and distributed by Cloud Ten Pictures and Namesake Entertainment. The film was... |
— | December 31, 2002 | October 29, 2002 | — |
| 7 | Waterproof | — | Released | Released | — |
| 8 | The Miracle of the Cards The Miracle of the Cards The Miracle of the Cards is 2002 American television drama film distributed by Cloud Ten Pictures. It starred Kirk Cameron, Karin Konoval, Catherine Oxenberg, Peter Wingfield and Richard Thomas... |
Released | Released | — | |
| 9 | Deceived | — | — | Released | — |
| 10 | Left Behind: World at War Left Behind: World at War Left Behind: World at War is a Christian Bible-based apocalyptic/thriller film and the third in the series of films based on the Left Behind book series. It was produced by Cloud Ten Pictures. The film premiered in churches on October 21, 2005 before its release on DVD and VHS on October 25, 2005... |
— | October 18, 2005 | October 25, 2005 | — |
| 11 | Smuggler's Ransom | — | June 6, 2008 | June 10, 2008 | — |
| 12 | The Genius Club The Genius Club The Genius Club is a 2006 film from the United States written and directed by Tim Chey. The film was released on October 27, 2006 via the Cinemark Theaters.... |
October 27, 2006 | — | September 2008 | — |
| 13 | Saving God Saving God Saving God is a 2008 Christian drama film written by Michael Jackson and directed by Duane Crichton. The film stars Ving Rhames, Dean McDermott and Ricardo Chavira, and was released on DVD and Blu-Ray on October 18, 2008 by Cloud Ten Pictures and Clear Entertainment.- Plot :Saving God follows... |
— | October 6, 2008 | October 11, 2008 | October 11, 2008 |
| 14 | The River Within The River Within The River Within is a 2009 film written and directed by Zac Heath. The film was produced by Inspired Life Films and Fabled Motion Pictures and released in theaters September 11, 2009 and on DVD November 10, 2009 by its distributor, Cloud Ten Pictures... |
— | - | November 10, 2009 | - |
| 15 | Left Behind Left Behind film series The Left Behind film series is a series of films based on the Left Behind best-selling book series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. They were produced by Cloud Ten Pictures, and directed by Vic Sarin , Bill Corcoran , and Craig R. Baxley... |
TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| 16 | Apocalypse V Apocalypse (film series) Apocalypse is a franchise of films that were produced by the makers of Left Behind: The Movie, and released by Cloud Ten Pictures, that involves the events that take place during the great tribulation period after the Biblical Rapture... |
TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| 17 | End of the Beginning | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
Abandoned projects
In 2003, the company started pre-production of a movie called End Game. The movie was supposed to be their first film planned to have a wide theatrical release. Eleven pages of the shooting script went up on the official website, but production came to a halt shortly after.In mid-June 2003, production was supposed to begin on an animated remake of their film Left Behind: The Movie
Left Behind: The Movie
Left Behind is a Christian based film released in 2000 and starring Kirk Cameron, Brad Johnson, Gordon Currie and Clarence Gilyard. It was directed by Vic Sarin. Left Behind was proclaimed by its creators as the biggest and most ambitious Christian film ever made...
. Cloud Ten's VP of films André van Heerden said "the storyline will be even closer to the original books than a live-action movie can be simply because of the freedom animation gives." This film will not be made though.
Shorty after the release of Left Behind: World at War
Left Behind: World at War
Left Behind: World at War is a Christian Bible-based apocalyptic/thriller film and the third in the series of films based on the Left Behind book series. It was produced by Cloud Ten Pictures. The film premiered in churches on October 21, 2005 before its release on DVD and VHS on October 25, 2005...
, a television show, based on Left Behind was in the planning stages for airing on the PAX television network. Planning for the television show went as far as casting calls in the United States and Canada, but creative differences on the direction the proposed television series should take, led Cloud Ten Pictures to abandon the project.
Future projects
Cloud Ten has a number of projects in development at the moment. Among them is a remake of the original Left Behind film, which will be shot on a bigger budget, and given a wide theatrical release.Also in the works is the fifth installment in their Apocalypse series. Christian author Greg Mitchell has written the script for the film, titled The Chosen. Mitchell is also working on a Graphic Novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
that will serve to connect the new film with the previous entry in the series, given the decade that has passed between movies.
Distribution deals
In 2004, Cloud Ten entered into a distribution agreement with Sony Pictures Home EntertainmentSony Pictures Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation. It was established in November 1979 as Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, releasing 20 titles: The Anderson Tapes, Bell, Book and Candle, Born Free, Breakout,...
, which distributed Left Behind: World at War.
On April 23, 2008, Cloud Ten announced new distribution deals with Koch Entertainment
Koch Entertainment
Koch Entertainment was a music, film and television distribution company. It was purchased by E1 Entertainment in 2005 and now operates under the name E1 Entertainment.-History:The company began in 1975 as Koch International...
and CNI Distribution. Koch will re-release all C10 films under their label.