Pinnacle Peak Pictures

Pinnacle Peak Pictures

Company type	Independent
Industry	Film production and distribution
Founded	2005
Founder	David A. R. White, Russell Wolfe, Michael Scott, Randy Travis, Byron M. Jones, Elizabeth Travis
Headquarters	Scottsdale , United States
Area served	United States
Key people	David A. R. White (founder)
Products	Evangelical Christian films

Pinnacle Peak Pictures—known as Pure Flix Entertainment until January 2021—is an independent American studio specializing in the production and distribution of evangelical Christian films. It was established by David A. R. White and Russell Wolfe. The company has produced notable Christian movies such as God's Not Dead (2014), Do You Believe? (2015), Woodlawn (2015), The Case for Christ (2017), and Unplanned (2019). Since 2014, their films have collectively earned upwards of $195 million globally. The studio’s headquarters are located in Scottsdale, Arizona.

History

Founded in 2005 under the name Pure Flix Entertainment, the company was launched by a group including David A. R. White, Michael Scott, Russell Wolfe, Randy Travis, Byron M. Jones, and Elizabeth Travis.

Throughout its history, the studio has been responsible for producing a variety of films such as The Wager, Home Beyond the Sun, In the Blink of an Eye, Sarah's Choice, A Greater Yes: The Story of Amy Newhouse, The Book of Ruth: Journey of Faith, Holyman Undercover, and Samson.

In 2011, Pure Flix collaborated with 10 West Studios to co-produce Jerusalem Countdown. Additionally, they produced the initial two seasons of TBN’s series Travel the Road. Their 2014 release, God's Not Dead, featuring actors such as Kevin Sorbo, Shane Harper, and Dean Cain, achieved over $60 million in domestic box office revenue and was digitally distributed by Lionsgate.

November 2015 marked the launch of Pure Flix’s own theatrical distribution division, led by former Regal executive Ken Rather, which aimed to self-distribute titles including God's Not Dead 2. That same year, the company unveiled a subscription-based streaming platform dedicated to Christian and family-oriented programming. In 2016, Pure Flix broadened its scope by introducing "Keep the Faith," a supplemental homeschooling curriculum.

To improve Hispanic media representation, Pure Flix partnered with the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. Also in 2016, they secured a multi-year home entertainment distribution agreement with Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, starting with the release of Woodlawn.

On November 12, 2020, Pure Flix’s streaming service was acquired by Sony Pictures Entertainment through its subsidiary Affirm Films, although financial details were not made public. This acquisition included ownership of the "Pure Flix" brand name, prompting the company to rebrand as Pinnacle Peak Pictures in January 2021.

God's Not Dead series

The 2014 release God's Not Dead emerged as the top-grossing independent movie of that year, ranking among the most commercially successful faith-based independent films despite facing unfavorable reviews. Its follow-up, God's Not Dead 2, earned more than $1.4 million in Brazil and was described by Vox as having achieved "moderate commercial success." The third film in the series, God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness, premiered on March 30, 2018, and was succeeded by a fourth installment, God's Not Dead: We the People, released in October 2021. The Christian music group Newsboys provided songs and made appearances in the initial two films. Additionally, the second movie touched upon legal controversies connected to the Johnson Amendment.

Awards and nominations

Year	Work nominated	Award	Outcome
2014	God's Not Dead	Inspirational Film of the Year – GMA Dove Awards	Template:Won

Film

Release date	Title	Additional information
2004	Home Beyond the Sun
2007	The Wager
2008	The Imposter
2009	A Greater Yes: The Story of Amy Newhouse
	Sarah's Choice
	In the Blink of an Eye
	The Book of Ruth: Journey of Faith
2010	Holyman Undercover
	What If...
	The Bill Collector
2011	The Encounter
	Jerusalem Countdown
2012	Ghost Soldiers
	Apostle Peter and the Last Supper
	The Mark
2013	The Book of Esther
	The Book of Daniel
2014	God's Not Dead
	Moms' Night Out	Co-produced by TriStar Pictures, Affirm Films, Provident Films, and Four Boys Entertainment
2015	Do You Believe?
	Old Fashioned
	Faith of Our Fathers
	Woodlawn
2016	God's Not Dead 2
	Hillsong: Let Hope Rise
	I'm Not Ashamed	Produced by Big Film Factory and Visible Pictures
2017	The Case for Christ
	'Same Kind of Different as Me	'Distribution only; production by Disruption Entertainment and Paramount Pictures'
2018	'Samson'	'Produced by Boomtown Films'
	'God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness'
	'Unbroken: Path to Redemption'	'Produced by Universal 1440 Entertainment and The WTA Group'
	'Shake Off the World'
	'Little Women'	'Produced by Paulist Productions and Main Dog Productions'
	'Indivisible'
'Unplanned'	'2019'
'God's Not Dead: We the People'	'2021'
'Redeeming Love'	'Produced by Universal Pictures, Nitibah Pictures, and Mission Pictures International'	'2022'
'God's Not Dead: In God We Trust'	'2024'
'The Last Supper'	'2025'

Television

• Travel the Road (2003–present)

Subsidiaries

Quality Flix, a subsidiary under Pinnacle Peak, specializes in distributing international films, whereas Pinnacle Peak focuses mainly on the U.S. market.

Controversies

Pure Flix's 2019 anti-abortion movie Unplanned generated significant debate following its receipt of an R rating from the Motion Picture Association of America and a temporary suspension of its Twitter account. Several Christian voices perceived this as unjust censorship. Michael Gryboski of Christian Post criticized Canadian companies such as Cineplex for effectively restricting the film’s availability, although it was ultimately shown in approximately 25 theaters across Canada. Additionally, Pure Flix faced accusations of deliberately avoiding early critic screenings to limit negative press. The film was also challenged for containing misleading and potentially harmful inaccuracies.

While Pure Flix's productions typically appeal to evangelical viewers, they have attracted criticism from within Christian circles. Alissa Wilkinson from Christianity Today and The King's College highlighted concerns about the films’ lack of intellectual depth and their tendency to reinforce stereotypes rather than provoke thoughtful reflection. She specifically pointed to the popular God's Not Dead series as promoting a victim mentality instead of inspiring Christlike conduct. Film critic Justin Chang similarly raised issues regarding the films’ portrayal of evangelicals as self-victimized. Kayla Bartsch of National Review contended that Pure Flix’s body of work sustains the perception that American Christian cinema must be simplistic, advocating instead for more sophisticated religious storytelling.