Hollywood, CA (LifeNews.com) -- Pro-life groups worked overtime to help the movie Bella get a strong start in its two first weekends at the box office. However, producers Leo Severino and Sean Wolfington say more help is needed in order to get the movie to more theaters across the country -- and the next weekend is crucial.

Despite only being shown in five percent of the number of movie theaters as major national releases the film is enjoying considerable success.

Bella held steady in the 17th slot overall and showed its popularity with the third highest per theater sales of the top 20 movies last weekend.

That's after stunning movie critics on its opening weekend at the end of October by taking in $1.3 million at just 165 theaters. The movie firmly established itself in second place that weekend with $7,784 on average at each of the theaters.

However, the fight to get this movie before a wider national audience isn't over, and may just be beginning.

This weekend, Bella faces more serious competition from "Lions for Lambs," which features Tom Cruise, Robert Redford and Meryl Streep, from the Vince Vaughn comedy "Fred Claus," and the new movie "No Country for Old Men."

Bella's producers are working the phones to find new theaters to play the movie in new markets and they hope to be in 400-500 theaters by November 16.

"But this will be the busiest movie-going season in the history of movies," Howard Cohen, co-president of the movie's distribution company, Roadside Attrations, told the Orange County Register newspaper. " 'Bella' is going to have to have a rabid fan base. It's got to have its own steam."

Wolfington told the newspaper that "This is David vs. Goliath" and has urged pro-life groups to keep pounding the pavement to get people to attend and to get theaters to show the movie.

A new set of advertisements are slated to help the movie starting on Thursday but the push to broaden the film's positive message and its reach still continues.

Several new cities will see Bella premier this weekend including Albuquerque, Des Moines, Durango (Colorado), El Paso, Green Bay, Honolulu, Madison, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Oklahoma City, Pittsburgh and Tucson.

Related web sites:
Bella - http://www.bellathemovie.com