Roma Downey as Mary in Son of God.
Derry actress Roma Downey is battling it out with a Hollywood heavyweight to be top of the US box office charts.
Roma’s Bible film, Son of God, in which she stars and produced with husband Mark Burnett, is going head-to-head with the action thriller Non Stop, starring Liam Neeson.
Both movies were released ahead of Monday’s Academy Awards ceremony with the Derry star’s Biblical drama pulling in an impressive $29 million (£17.3m) in ticket sales on its opening weekend, just $1 million behind to Non Stop’s $30 million (£18m).
Both are ahead of the hugely popular LEGO movie, which also stars Neeson, which is ranked third at the US box office.
Roma became a household name in the US through her portrayal of angel Monica in the hugely successful television series Touched by an Angel while Neeson has a host of big screen hits to his credits, including Michael Collins, “The Big Fella.”
Son of God has been inspired Roma and Mark’s hit mini-series The Bible which drew in over 13 million viewers when it premiered on the popular History Channel last year.
Meanwhile, NBC has given the official green light to A.D., the sequel to The Bible.
Written by Simon Block (The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall), it will be a 12-part mini-series and is expected to premiere in Spring next year.
Roma Downey.
Roma and her husband are also working on the mini-series The Dovekeepers for CBS.
The Derry actress/producer will later this year receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Fine Arts for her “outstanding contribution to acting and philanthropy” at the University of Ulster’s Magee College.
The star will be among 24 recipients who will receive honorary awards from the university this year.
Previous recipients at Magee include President Bill and Hilary Clinton, Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody, actors Stephen Rea and Amanda Burton, and Paddy Ashdown, former leader of the Liberal Democrat Party.
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