When “The Omega Code” opened this fall, only 300 theaters showed it. But when church groups started buying tickets by the boat load, it soon became apparent that the film was a sleeper.
The movie, which was financed by Trinity Broadcasting Network—the nation’s largest Christian broadcaster—cost only $7.2 million to make, but grossed more money than virtually any other film it opened against. That it has proven to be a financial success is questioned by no one. But some are questioning whether “The Omega Code” contains anti-Catholic elements.
The church-goers who responded with unheralded support for the movie were Evangelicals. What they saw was a film that told a story about an ancient code, buried in the Bible, which predicts apocalyptic events at the end of the millennium. Indeed, Michael York, who stars in “The Omega Code,” admits the movie “caters to a certain millennial paranoia,” drawing inspiration from prophecies in the Book of Revelation. There is an antichrist who lives in Rome (he is a former Catholic) and his home is marked with church imagery.
Several Catholic League members found “Omega” to be at least tainted with anti-Catholicism. And they were not alone. Dennis King in Tulsa World described it as having “not-so-subtle flourishes of Catholic bashing,” and Kathleen Craughwell of the Los Angeles Times wrote that “one of the more troubling aspects of ‘The Omega Code’ is the seeming demonization of Roman Catholicism.” Such charges were denied by the producer, Matthew Crouch.
“Omega” did not open in the New York area so the league was not in a position to offer a formal statement on the film.
