Жена священника: Рождественская история о вере и любви.
The Preacher's Wife
«Жена проповедника» (1996) – рождественская комедия с Уитни Хьюстон и Дензелом Вашингтоном. Ремейк классики, номинированный на «Оскар» и «Image Awards».
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Содержание
Введение
Жена проповедника – американский рождественский комедийный драматический фильм 1996 года, снятый Пенни Маршалл и в главных ролях с Дензелом Вашингтоном, Уитни Хьюстон и Кортни Б. Вэнсом. Это ремейк фильма 1947 года «Жена епископа», который, в свою очередь, основан на одноименном романе Роберта Нейтана 1928 года. Фильм был номинирован на премию «Оскар» за лучшую музыку к оригинальному музыкальному или комедийному фильму. Он также был номинирован на пять премий Image Awards, включая «Выдающийся фильм», и удостоился двух наград – за лучшую женскую роль (Уитни Хьюстон) и лучшую женскую роль второго плана (Лоретта Девайн).
The Preacher's Wife is a 1996 American Christmas comedy drama film directed by Penny Marshall and starring Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston, and Courtney B. Vance. It is a remake of the 1947 film The Bishop's Wife, which in turn was based on the 1928 novel of the same name by Robert Nathan. It was nominated for the Oscar for Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score. The film was nominated for five Image Awards, including Outstanding Motion Picture, and won two—for Best Actress (Whitney Houston) and Best Supporting Actress (Loretta Devine).
Сюжет
Голос за кадром, принадлежащий сыну проповедника Иеремии, ведёт зрителя по фильму. Преподобный Генри Биггс – пастор небольшой, испытывающей трудности афроамериканской баптистской церкви в бедном районе Нью-Йорка. Количество прихожан сокращается, Генри разрывается между сотней нужд своих прихожан, а финансовое положение церкви плачевно. Застройщик Джо Гамильтон оказывает на Генри сильное давление, требуя продать церковную землю, чтобы Гамильтон мог построить на этом месте элитные кондоминиумы. Генри также стал пренебрегать своей женой Джулией и сыном Иеремией. Джулия опасается, что её брак рушится. Сомневаясь в своей способности помочь прихожанам и начиная терять веру, Генри молится Богу о помощи, которая приходит в образе Дадли – остроумного и обаятельного ангела. Дадли сообщает Генри, что он ангел, посланный Богом, чтобы помочь ему, но Генри глубоко подозревает Дадли. Джулия же мгновенно очарована красивым и невозмутимым ангелом. С приближением Рождества график Генри становится всё более напряжённым, и Дадли начинает проводить большую часть времени с Джулией и Иеремией. Секретарь Генри, Беверли, комично обороняется и проявляет агрессию, полагая, что Дадли пришёл за её работой. Мать Джулии, Маргарита, также с подозрением относится к Дадли, считая, что новоприбывший разрушит брак её дочери. Дадли и Джулия катаются на коньках, а затем проводят вечер в джазовом клубе, где Джулия когда-то выступала. После конфронтации с Дадли, Генри понимает, что Дадли влюбляется в Джулию. Дадли переключает своё внимание на Гамильтона и срывает его планы по продаже церкви. Генри осознаёт, что семья – самое важное в его жизни, и решает стать лучшим мужем и отцом. На рождественском представлении в церкви Генри вновь обретает веру в Бога и восстанавливает связь с семьёй. Закончив свою работу, Дадли дарит семье Биггсов украшенную рождественскую ёлку. Затем Дадли стирает все воспоминания о себе у всех, кого он встречал, и хотя он посещает рождественскую службу в канун Рождества, никто его не узнаёт. Однако Иеремия, сохранивший детскую веру, всё ещё помнит Дадли и желает ему счастливого Рождества. На протяжении всего фильма развивается побочная сюжетная линия, посвящённая вокальным талантам Джулии. Когда-то популярная певица ночных клубов, теперь она – звезда церковного хора. Эта сюжетная линия включает несколько музыкальных номеров с участием хора, а госпел играет важную роль. Также она предоставляет комическое облегчение в лице властной участницы хора, которую играет настоящая мать Хьюстона, Сисси.
A voiceover by the preacher's son Jeremiah guides the viewer through the film. Reverend Henry Biggs is the pastor of a small struggling African American Baptist church in a poverty stricken neighborhood of New York City. Membership is declining, Henry is pulled in a hundred directions by his parishioners' needs, and the church's finances are in trouble. Henry is under intense pressure from real estate developer Joe Hamilton to sell the church's property so that Hamilton can build luxury condominiums on the site. Henry has also become neglectful of his wife Julia and his son Jeremiah. Julia worries that her marriage is failing. Unsure that he can make a difference in his parishioners' lives and beginning to lose his faith, Henry prays to God for help, which comes in the form of Dudley, a witty and debonair angel. Dudley tells Henry that he is an angel sent by God to help him, but Henry is deeply suspicious of Dudley. Julia, however, is instantly charmed by the handsome and unflappable angel. With Christmas approaching, Henry's schedule becomes increasingly burdensome, and Dudley begins to spend most of his time with Julia and Jeremiah. Henry's secretary Beverly becomes comically defensive and aggressive, believing Dudley is there to take her job. Julia's wasp tongued mother, Margueritte is also suspicious of Dudley, because she believes the newcomer will break up her daughter's marriage. Dudley and Julia go ice skating, and then later spend an evening in the jazz club where Julia once performed. After Henry confronts Dudley, Dudley realizes that he is falling in love with Julia. So, Dudley turns his attention to Hamilton and manages to disrupt his schemes to get Henry to sell the church. Henry now realizes that his family is the most important thing in his life, and he resolves to be a better husband and father. At the church's Christmas pageant, Henry finds his faith in God renewed and ties to his family restored. With his work done, Dudley gives the Biggs family a fully decorated Christmas tree as a gift. Dudley then erases all memories of himself from everyone he has met, and although he attends morning service on Christmas Eve, no one recognizes him. However, Jeremiah, who has the faith of a child, still remembers Dudley, and wishes him a merry Christmas. A subplot present throughout the film focuses on Julia's singing talents. Once a popular nightclub singer, she is now a star in the church choir. This subplot provides for several set pieces in which the choir performs, and Gospel music plays a significant role. It also provides comic relief in the form of a domineering choir member, played by Houston's real life mother, Cissy.
Производство
Фильм был разработан компанией Mundy Lane Entertainment Дензела Вашингтона. Сценарий написали Нэт Моулдин и Аллан Скотт. Авторами идеи признаны Роберт Э. Шервуд и Леонардо Берковичи за фильм 1947 года «Жена епископа», а также Роберт Нейтан (за его роман «Жена епископа»). Роль Джулии была написана с прицелом на Уитни Хьюстон. Дензел Вашингтон рассказывает, что сначала рассматривал Джулию Робертс на эту роль, но вскоре переключил внимание на Уитни Хьюстон. Хьюстон получила гонорар в 10 миллионов долларов за участие в фильме, став самой высокооплачиваемой афроамериканской актрисой того времени и третьей по величине гонорару актрисой 1996 года.
The motion picture was developed by Denzel Washington's Mundy Lane Entertainment. The screenplay was written by Nat Mauldin and Allan Scott. Credits are given to Robert E. Sherwood and Leonardo Bercovici for the 1947 film The Bishop's Wife, and to author Robert Nathan (for his novel The Bishop's Wife). The role of Julia was written with Whitney Houston in mind. Denzel Washington says that he first considered Julia Roberts for the role, but quickly turned to Whitney Houston. Houston was paid $10 million to appear in the film, making her the highest paid black actress at the time and third highest paid film actress of 1996.</blockquote>Filming began in early January 1996. Trinity United Methodist Church in Newark, New Jersey, served as the Biggs' New York City church. Production was plagued by poor weather and accidents. Interior sets were constructed at Chelsea Piers, a film and television production facility in Manhattan, New York. One crew member rushed a ladder from the production to the burning building, and saved the life of a four year old child. Accidents also affected the production. The weekend before filming began at the church, an elderly parishioner fell, broke her hip and died. In the middle of filming, a crew member was struck by a car and killed. The production schedule was also impacted by Houston's decision only to shoot scenes with vocal performances during the afternoon. Lionel Richie made his acting debut in the film as the owner of the jazz club. The album also remained at number one for a record twenty six weeks on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums Chart. The Georgia Mass Choir appears in the film. The soundtrack to the film (performed by Whitney Houston) consists of gospel numbers and includes performances by Monica, Faith Evans, the three members of New Edition who embarked on solo careers (Bobby Brown, who was Houston's real life husband at the time, Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill), Cissy Houston and Shirley Caesar among others. Houston sang Richard Smallwood's I Love the Lord in the film. A favorite song of hers since childhood, it gained renewed popularity when it was heard in the film. Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times also found the film "warm, sentimental, amusing yet serious" and an "inspired reworking" of the 1947 original. He singled out Penny Marshall's directing for being "consistently wise and judicious", and praised Jenifer Lewis and Loretta Devine. Critic Roger Ebert gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, but was a bit equivocal in his review, concluding: "The Preacher's Wife is a sweet and good hearted comedy about the holiday season. This movie could have done more, but what it does, it makes you feel good about." Duane Byrge, writing for The Hollywood Reporter, also felt the film uneven. Although he found it heart warming, he wrote that it had a "patchy narrative" and felt the film made Washington and Houston such great characters that it was hard to see why the Biggs' marriage should survive. Too often, he concluded, the plot seemed nothing more than a means of stringing together terrific musical performances by Houston and the Georgia Mass Choir. Byrge found Penny Marshall's directing slow at times but felt that casting director Paula Herold had done wonders. He singled out Courtney B. Vance as an appealing if downbeat husband, Jenifer Lewis as the "sassy" mother in law, and Loretta Devine as Bigg's defensive, aggressive secretary who thinks Dudley is there to replace her. Marshall, Byrge said, was more effective directing these lively characters (and actors) than the film's stars. In contrast, Caren Weiner Campbell, writing for Entertainment Weekly, found Denzel Washington to be lackluster (though the gospel singing scenes were quite good). Her strongest criticism was directed at the screenplay. She felt the script had too many subplots, with the narrative by the character of Jeremiah was "sappy", and was lacking in the "fun miracles" of the original. She also criticized Marshall's directing for being slow and tedious. Unlike other reviewers, Jackie Potts in Miami Herald felt the characters were dated and not updated. She found Courtney B. Vance's acting humorless, and was highly critical of Whitney Houston's acting. "[Houston] sleepwalks through scenes as the dignified mother, doing little more than tucking her 6 year old son (Justin Pierre Edmund) in. It's not a showy role, but Houston plays it as if the frost outdoors has settled on her shoulders". While she had high praise for Denzel Washington (he "plays Dudley with a 100 watt smile and childlike sense of wonder"), she had little to say for Penny Marshall's directing. It was, she concluded, slow and the overall tone of the film "strangely solemn"—with only minor relief given by Jenifer Lewis' biting, scathingly funny turn as a tart tongued mother. The Preacher's Wife currently holds rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on reviews. The site's consensus states: "Solid performances and a steady directorial hand help The Preacher's Wife offer some reliably heartwarming albeit fairly predictable holiday cheer."
Съемки начались в начале января 1996 года. Церковь Троицы в Ньюарке, штат Нью-Джерси, послужила декорацией для нью-йоркской церкви семьи Биггсов. Производство осложнялось плохой погодой и несчастными случаями. Внутренние декорации были возведены в Chelsea Piers – комплексе для кино- и телепроизводства на Манхэттене, Нью-Йорк. Один из членов съемочной группы бросился с лестницей от съемочной площадки к горящему зданию и спас жизнь четырехлетнему ребенку. Несчастные случаи также повлияли на производство. За выходные до начала съемок в церкви пожилая прихожанка упала, сломала бедро и умерла. В середине съемок член съемочной группы был сбит автомобилем и погиб. На график производства также повлияло решение Хьюстон снимать сцены с вокальными партиями только во второй половине дня. Лионель Ричи дебютировал в фильме в роли владельца джаз-клуба. Альбом продержался на первом месте в чарте Billboard Top Gospel Albums Chart рекордные двадцать шесть недель. В фильме появляется хор Georgia Mass Choir. Саундтрек к фильму (в исполнении Уитни Хьюстон) состоит из госпел-композиций и включает в себя выступления Моники, Фейт Эванс, трех участников New Edition, начавших сольную карьеру (Бобби Браун, который в то время был мужем Хьюстон, Ральф Тресвант и Джонни Гилл), Сисси Хьюстон и Ширли Цезарь и других. Хьюстон исполнила в фильме композицию Ричарда Смолвуда «I Love the Lord». Эта песня была ее любимой с детства и обрела новую популярность после того, как прозвучала в фильме. Кевин Томас из Los Angeles Times также посчитал фильм «теплым, сентиментальным, забавным, но серьезным» и «вдохновленной переработкой» оригинального фильма 1947 года. Он особо отметил режиссуру Пенни Маршалл как «последовательно мудрую и взвешенную», а также высоко оценил игру Дженнифер Льюис и Лоретты Девайн. Критик Роджер Эберт поставил фильму 3 из 4 звезд, но в своей рецензии был несколько уклончив, заключив: «Жена проповедника – это милая и добродушная комедия о праздничном сезоне. Этот фильм мог бы быть лучше, но то, что он делает, заставляет вас чувствовать себя хорошо». Дуэйн Бирдж, пишущий для The Hollywood Reporter, также посчитал фильм неравномерным. Хотя он нашел его трогательным, он отметил, что повествование «неровное» и что фильм создал таких сильных персонажей Вашингтона и Хьюстон, что стало трудно понять, почему брак Биггсов должен сохраниться. Слишком часто, по его мнению, сюжет казался лишь способом связать вместе великолепные музыкальные номера Хьюстон и Georgia Mass Choir. Бирдж счел режиссуру Пенни Маршалл временами медленной, но отметил, что режиссер по кастингу Пола Герольд проделала чудесную работу. Он особо выделил Кортни Б. Вэнса в роли привлекательного, но подавленного мужа, Дженнифер Льюис в роли «дерзкой» свекрови и Лоретту Девайн в роли защищающейся, агрессивной секретарши Биггса, считающей, что Дадли пришел, чтобы занять ее место. Маршалл, по словам Бирджа, была более эффективна в работе с этими яркими персонажами (и актерами), чем со звездами фильма. В отличие от него, Кэрен Вайнер Кэмпбелл, пишущая для Entertainment Weekly, посчитала, что Дензел Вашингтон не блестит (хотя сцены с госпел-пением были довольно хороши). Ее самая серьезная критика была направлена на сценарий. Она считала, что в сценарии слишком много сюжетных линий, а повествование от лица Иеремии было «приторным» и не хватало «веселых чудес» оригинала. Она также раскритиковала режиссуру Маршалл за медлительность и утомительность. В отличие от других рецензентов, Джеки Поттс из Miami Herald посчитала, что персонажи устарели и не были обновлены. Она сочла игру Кортни Б. Вэнса не имеющей юмора и крайне критически отнеслась к актерской игре Уитни Хьюстон. «[Хьюстон] словно во сне проходит по сценам в роли достойной матери, не делая ничего, кроме как укладывая своего шестилетнего сына (Джастин Пьер Эдмунд) спать. Это не выдающаяся роль, но Хьюстон играет ее так, будто мороз на улице осел на ее плечах». Хотя она высоко оценила Дензела Вашингтона (он «играет Дадли со 100-ваттной улыбкой и детским чувством удивления»), она мало сказала о режиссуре Пенни Маршалл. Она была, по ее заключению, медленной, а общий тон фильма «странно торжественным», с небольшим облегчением, которое дарила едкая, остроумная игра Дженнифер Льюис в роли сварливой матери.
The motion picture was developed by Denzel Washington's Mundy Lane Entertainment. The screenplay was written by Nat Mauldin and Allan Scott. Credits are given to Robert E. Sherwood and Leonardo Bercovici for the 1947 film The Bishop's Wife, and to author Robert Nathan (for his novel The Bishop's Wife). The role of Julia was written with Whitney Houston in mind. Denzel Washington says that he first considered Julia Roberts for the role, but quickly turned to Whitney Houston. Houston was paid $10 million to appear in the film, making her the highest paid black actress at the time and third highest paid film actress of 1996.</blockquote>Filming began in early January 1996. Trinity United Methodist Church in Newark, New Jersey, served as the Biggs' New York City church. Production was plagued by poor weather and accidents. Interior sets were constructed at Chelsea Piers, a film and television production facility in Manhattan, New York. One crew member rushed a ladder from the production to the burning building, and saved the life of a four year old child. Accidents also affected the production. The weekend before filming began at the church, an elderly parishioner fell, broke her hip and died. In the middle of filming, a crew member was struck by a car and killed. The production schedule was also impacted by Houston's decision only to shoot scenes with vocal performances during the afternoon. Lionel Richie made his acting debut in the film as the owner of the jazz club. The album also remained at number one for a record twenty six weeks on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums Chart. The Georgia Mass Choir appears in the film. The soundtrack to the film (performed by Whitney Houston) consists of gospel numbers and includes performances by Monica, Faith Evans, the three members of New Edition who embarked on solo careers (Bobby Brown, who was Houston's real life husband at the time, Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill), Cissy Houston and Shirley Caesar among others. Houston sang Richard Smallwood's I Love the Lord in the film. A favorite song of hers since childhood, it gained renewed popularity when it was heard in the film. Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times also found the film "warm, sentimental, amusing yet serious" and an "inspired reworking" of the 1947 original. He singled out Penny Marshall's directing for being "consistently wise and judicious", and praised Jenifer Lewis and Loretta Devine. Critic Roger Ebert gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, but was a bit equivocal in his review, concluding: "The Preacher's Wife is a sweet and good hearted comedy about the holiday season. This movie could have done more, but what it does, it makes you feel good about." Duane Byrge, writing for The Hollywood Reporter, also felt the film uneven. Although he found it heart warming, he wrote that it had a "patchy narrative" and felt the film made Washington and Houston such great characters that it was hard to see why the Biggs' marriage should survive. Too often, he concluded, the plot seemed nothing more than a means of stringing together terrific musical performances by Houston and the Georgia Mass Choir. Byrge found Penny Marshall's directing slow at times but felt that casting director Paula Herold had done wonders. He singled out Courtney B. Vance as an appealing if downbeat husband, Jenifer Lewis as the "sassy" mother in law, and Loretta Devine as Bigg's defensive, aggressive secretary who thinks Dudley is there to replace her. Marshall, Byrge said, was more effective directing these lively characters (and actors) than the film's stars. In contrast, Caren Weiner Campbell, writing for Entertainment Weekly, found Denzel Washington to be lackluster (though the gospel singing scenes were quite good). Her strongest criticism was directed at the screenplay. She felt the script had too many subplots, with the narrative by the character of Jeremiah was "sappy", and was lacking in the "fun miracles" of the original. She also criticized Marshall's directing for being slow and tedious. Unlike other reviewers, Jackie Potts in Miami Herald felt the characters were dated and not updated. She found Courtney B. Vance's acting humorless, and was highly critical of Whitney Houston's acting. "[Houston] sleepwalks through scenes as the dignified mother, doing little more than tucking her 6 year old son (Justin Pierre Edmund) in. It's not a showy role, but Houston plays it as if the frost outdoors has settled on her shoulders". While she had high praise for Denzel Washington (he "plays Dudley with a 100 watt smile and childlike sense of wonder"), she had little to say for Penny Marshall's directing. It was, she concluded, slow and the overall tone of the film "strangely solemn"—with only minor relief given by Jenifer Lewis' biting, scathingly funny turn as a tart tongued mother. The Preacher's Wife currently holds rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on reviews. The site's consensus states: "Solid performances and a steady directorial hand help The Preacher's Wife offer some reliably heartwarming albeit fairly predictable holiday cheer."
В настоящее время «Жена проповедника» имеет рейтинг на Rotten Tomatoes, основанный на рецензиях. Консенсус сайта гласит: «Солидная игра и уверенная режиссура помогают «Жене проповедника» предложить надежно согревающее, хотя и довольно предсказуемое, праздничное настроение».
The motion picture was developed by Denzel Washington's Mundy Lane Entertainment. The screenplay was written by Nat Mauldin and Allan Scott. Credits are given to Robert E. Sherwood and Leonardo Bercovici for the 1947 film The Bishop's Wife, and to author Robert Nathan (for his novel The Bishop's Wife). The role of Julia was written with Whitney Houston in mind. Denzel Washington says that he first considered Julia Roberts for the role, but quickly turned to Whitney Houston. Houston was paid $10 million to appear in the film, making her the highest paid black actress at the time and third highest paid film actress of 1996.</blockquote>Filming began in early January 1996. Trinity United Methodist Church in Newark, New Jersey, served as the Biggs' New York City church. Production was plagued by poor weather and accidents. Interior sets were constructed at Chelsea Piers, a film and television production facility in Manhattan, New York. One crew member rushed a ladder from the production to the burning building, and saved the life of a four year old child. Accidents also affected the production. The weekend before filming began at the church, an elderly parishioner fell, broke her hip and died. In the middle of filming, a crew member was struck by a car and killed. The production schedule was also impacted by Houston's decision only to shoot scenes with vocal performances during the afternoon. Lionel Richie made his acting debut in the film as the owner of the jazz club. The album also remained at number one for a record twenty six weeks on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums Chart. The Georgia Mass Choir appears in the film. The soundtrack to the film (performed by Whitney Houston) consists of gospel numbers and includes performances by Monica, Faith Evans, the three members of New Edition who embarked on solo careers (Bobby Brown, who was Houston's real life husband at the time, Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill), Cissy Houston and Shirley Caesar among others. Houston sang Richard Smallwood's I Love the Lord in the film. A favorite song of hers since childhood, it gained renewed popularity when it was heard in the film. Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times also found the film "warm, sentimental, amusing yet serious" and an "inspired reworking" of the 1947 original. He singled out Penny Marshall's directing for being "consistently wise and judicious", and praised Jenifer Lewis and Loretta Devine. Critic Roger Ebert gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, but was a bit equivocal in his review, concluding: "The Preacher's Wife is a sweet and good hearted comedy about the holiday season. This movie could have done more, but what it does, it makes you feel good about." Duane Byrge, writing for The Hollywood Reporter, also felt the film uneven. Although he found it heart warming, he wrote that it had a "patchy narrative" and felt the film made Washington and Houston such great characters that it was hard to see why the Biggs' marriage should survive. Too often, he concluded, the plot seemed nothing more than a means of stringing together terrific musical performances by Houston and the Georgia Mass Choir. Byrge found Penny Marshall's directing slow at times but felt that casting director Paula Herold had done wonders. He singled out Courtney B. Vance as an appealing if downbeat husband, Jenifer Lewis as the "sassy" mother in law, and Loretta Devine as Bigg's defensive, aggressive secretary who thinks Dudley is there to replace her. Marshall, Byrge said, was more effective directing these lively characters (and actors) than the film's stars. In contrast, Caren Weiner Campbell, writing for Entertainment Weekly, found Denzel Washington to be lackluster (though the gospel singing scenes were quite good). Her strongest criticism was directed at the screenplay. She felt the script had too many subplots, with the narrative by the character of Jeremiah was "sappy", and was lacking in the "fun miracles" of the original. She also criticized Marshall's directing for being slow and tedious. Unlike other reviewers, Jackie Potts in Miami Herald felt the characters were dated and not updated. She found Courtney B. Vance's acting humorless, and was highly critical of Whitney Houston's acting. "[Houston] sleepwalks through scenes as the dignified mother, doing little more than tucking her 6 year old son (Justin Pierre Edmund) in. It's not a showy role, but Houston plays it as if the frost outdoors has settled on her shoulders". While she had high praise for Denzel Washington (he "plays Dudley with a 100 watt smile and childlike sense of wonder"), she had little to say for Penny Marshall's directing. It was, she concluded, slow and the overall tone of the film "strangely solemn"—with only minor relief given by Jenifer Lewis' biting, scathingly funny turn as a tart tongued mother. The Preacher's Wife currently holds rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on reviews. The site's consensus states: "Solid performances and a steady directorial hand help The Preacher's Wife offer some reliably heartwarming albeit fairly predictable holiday cheer."
Кассовые сборы
Фильм собрал в мировом прокате 56 432 646 долларов, из которых 48 102 795 долларов – в США, что позволило картине «Жена проповедника» занять 33-е место в рейтинге кассовых сборов фильмов, вышедших в 1996 году. Кассовые сборы фильма в США лишь незначительно уступили результатам «Эвиты» (50 миллионов долларов), но превзошли сборы «Ромео + Джульетты» (46,3 миллиона долларов) и «Одного прекрасного дня» (46,2 миллиона долларов). Несмотря на то, что результат был признан достойным, «Жена проповедника» не оправдала ожиданий студии, учитывая производственный бюджет в 60 миллионов долларов и дополнительные 15 миллионов долларов, потраченные на маркетинг. Представители индустрии надеялись, что фильм привлечет широкую аудиторию благодаря участию двух популярных звезд и активной рекламной кампании саундтрека. «Уитни сама по себе – это мощный маркетинговый инструмент», – заявил глава отдела маркетинга студии газете Los Angeles Times незадолго до выхода фильма, имея в виду широкую популярность Хьюстон в то время.
The film grossed $56,432,646 worldwide, of which $48,102,795 was in the US, ranking The Preacher's Wife as #33 in domestic box office receipts for movies released in 1996. The movie's US gross was only slightly below that of Evita ($50 million) and above those for Romeo + Juliet ($46.3 million) and One Fine Day ($46.2 million). Although considered a respectable performance, The Preacher's Wife underperformed studio expectations given its $60 million production budget plus an additional $15 million in marketing expenses. Industry insiders had hoped that The Preacher's Wife would attract a significant crossover audience due to its two high profile mainstream stars and heavily promoted soundtrack album. "Whitney is her own built in marketing machine," a studio marketing chief told the Los Angeles Times prior to the film's release, referring to Houston's widespread appeal at the time.