The new film “Jesus Revolution” has smashed industry expectations, bringing in more than double what box office watchers predicted.
Specifically, the faith-based film was forecasted to earn around $6 or $7 million in ticket sales. However, audience support for the Christian film meant that it managed to more than double that and bring in a stellar $15 million. According to Box Office Mojo, the film earned a stellar $6, 272 per theater. That put in in third place for the box office this weekend, which is pretty darn good for a faith-based film.
The movie was another example of wildly differing audience and critical reviews. For example, “Jesus Revolution” received an A+ CinemaScore and a 99% Rotten Tomatoes score from the general audience. The film’s critical reception, however, was mixed.
So audiences loved it and critics were split, as generally happens with modern movies. Typically, critics love woke films that audiences refuse to watch whereas audiences love films that are actually entertaining and typically non-woke, or at least not overtly about some woke topic.
Commenting on those terrific audience scores, CinemaScore President Harold Mintz told Collider “Jon Erwin [the director] has now achieved four A+ CinemaScores, more than any other filmmaker since we have been compiling data. For a director to achieve that accomplishment once is a rarity. But to hit that mark four times is not only an incredible distinction – it’s unprecedented.”
“Jesus Revolution” is about a church revival from the 1970s, as the film’s website describes, saying “In the 1970s, young Greg Laurie (Joel Courtney) is searching for all the right things in all the wrong places: until he meets Lonnie Frisbee (Jonathan Roumie), a charismatic hippie-street-preacher. Together with Pastor Chuck Smith (Kelsey Grammer), they open the doors of Smith’s languishing church to an unexpected revival of radical and newfound love, leading to what TIME Magazine dubbed a JESUS REVOLUTION.”
Similarly, the film’s synopsis notes that “‘Jesus Revolution’ is the story of one young hippie’s quest in the 1970s for belonging and liberation that leads not only to peace, love, and rock and roll, but that sets into motion a new counterculture crusade – a Jesus Movement – changing the course of history.”
And as “Jesus Revolution” brings Christ to Hollywood and the box office during the Lenten Season, Hollywood star Mark Wahlberg is using his platform to tell people about Christ. During a recent interview, for example, he said:
“[The faith] part of the discipline has really afforded me all the other wonderful things in my life, my family, my career, being able to turn my life around. I grew up from very humble beginnings, obviously had a troubled youth.”
“Once I realized that God was calling me and really wanting to help me and turn my life around, and knew that I had potential. Once I started to become more disciplined, really, the world became full of opportunity. So, I just want to share that with people and their own. But just being the best versions of themselves.”
He also said “Everybody knows what God wants to attach them from and, replacing bad habits with good habits. So, it’s really between you and God, what you decide to give up or what you decide to do more of. I think sometimes, people can give up candy, but it’s a lot more powerful and a lot more impactful to give your time to somebody else and just to give more and do more, even a kind word and a smile. You never know how far that will go with somebody who’s going through some really difficult.”
Featured image credit: By Lionsgate – IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72828728
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