Chris Lange, FISM News
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“Jesus Revolution” now holds the number one spot on Amazon’s Best Sellers chart, beating out blockbuster films like “Top Gun: Maverick,” “John Wick: Chapter 4,” and “Super Mario Bros.”
The Lionsgate film chronicling the Jesus Movement of the ’60s and ’70s was released on DVD and Blu-ray on Tuesday. The film opened at the No. 3 spot in theaters, earning more than $15 million during its opening weekend and more than $52 million over its eight-week run.
“Jesus Revolution” focuses on the remarkable and unlikely friendship struck between Calvary Chapel Pastor Chuck Smith, hippie evangelist Lonnie Frisbee, and Pastor Greg Laurie, the three of whom are credited with sparking the Jesus Movement in the midst of the tumultuous countercultural revolution of the ’60s and early ‘70s.
The film stars Kelsey Grammer, Jonathan Roumie, Joel Courtney, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, and Anna Grace Barlow and is based on Laurie’s book “Jesus Revolution: How God Transformed an Unlikely Generation and How He Can Do It Again Today.”
‘WE HAD PEOPLE ACCEPTING CHRIST IN THE THEATERS’
Laurie, who now leads Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California, said that Christians should view “Jesus Revolution” as a tool for evangelism.
“This movie is a gift,” Laurie said in an interview on the Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast. “It’s a gift to the church. It’s a tool. We had people accepting Christ in the theaters,” he continued. “I had one person say, ‘I heard people around me praying out loud asking Jesus to come into their life.’”
“Jesus Revolution” is one among several Christian-themed films that have seen success at the box office in recent years that has surprised many film industry experts. “His Only Son,” an Angel Studios film, has earned $12,084,084 at the box office since its release on March 31, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com. The movie about the life of Abraham was made on a shoestring budget of $250,000 raised through crowdfunding.
Angel Studios announced in March that its animated “David” movie, set for release in 2025, has already raised more than $49 million in investments, shattering the old crowdfunding record.
The Christian streaming service is also behind the popular “The Chosen” series about the life of Christ. Networthspot.com reported that “The Chosen” YouTube channel alone attracts more than 1.86 million views each month.
Amid the evident hunger for Christian films in the U.S. and elsewhere, news that Mel Gibson will soon begin filming a long-awaited sequel to his 2004 blockbuster “The Passion of the Christ” is likely welcome. That film earned more than $612 million worldwide, making it one of the most successful independent movies in history. The sequel, titled “The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection,” scheduled for release next year, though a specific date has not yet been named.
Collider’s Rahul Malhotra recently said that the surprising success of Christian films underscores the fact that “the faith-based demographic remains largely underserved, with most targeted releases doing splendid numbers and generating enthusiastic response.”