Jesus Revolution has swept across America’s movie theaters with wowing success. Now, with the numbers surrounding its excellent debut being made public, it is clear that religious dramas have a place in American entertainment. With Christian families clamoring for more films that fit their views and morals, more and more films of this nature will indeed begin production.
With Kelsey Grammer starring, the film has seen a domestic gross income of over $41 million, according to Box Office Mojo. Jesus Revolution is entering its fourth-week post-release and has seen a level of success that few could have predicted in the industry. According to the DC Enquirer, the film’s total budget was only $15 million.
In an interview with Christian Headlines, producer Kevin Downes called the numbers “incredible, especially coming out of a pandemic.” He also explained exactly what made this film so successful, the message that it leaves the audience pondering as they exit the theatre, saying:
“It’s about faith, it’s about hope and redemption and finding your identity in God. It’s the great human conundrum, it’s the great question we all ask ourselves: What am I doing? Why am I here? What is my purpose? And every generation has that and gets distracted from God. … When people come to the realization that God is their identity, God is behind their identity, everything falls into place.”
Joe Irwin, co-director of the film, noted that the film’s release coinciding with the awe-inspiring Christian revival that took place at Asbury University during the same time was no coincidence. As far as he is concerned, this was a sign of things to come for the film:
“For years, we’ve been working on this story. We almost got it made, and then COVID got it shut down. I just think there’s a divine hand on the timing of the film. And the reason we made it was … the thing that we’ve said for years is, if it happened then, it can happen now. If it happened once, it can happen again.”
Star of the movie Jonathan Roumie talked to Christian Headlines about his faith and the message that film seeks to share with its audience. He give the impression that to him this is more than just an acting job:
“It’s about faith, it’s about hope and redemption and finding your identity in God. It’s the great human conundrum, it’s the great question we all ask ourselves: What am I doing? Why am I here? What is my purpose? And every generation has that and gets distracted from God. … When people come to the realization that God is their identity, God is behind their identity, everything falls into place.”
Jesus Revolution was more than just a financial success. Audience absolutely loved the film. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie currently has a wowing 99% audience score, putting it alongside some of the greatest films of all time. There may very well be a day in the not-so-distant future that we look back on Jesus Revolution as the moment that Hollywood began producing Christian films again.