A Bible-based film about the life of Abraham surprised Hollywood observers and doubled projections over the weekend with a Top 5 finish.
Angel Studios' His Only Son grossed an estimated $5.5 million, ranking No. 3 and receiving a Cinemascore grade of "A" from moviegoers. Heading into the weekend, Box Office Pro predicted it would gross $2.7 million.
The movie's success came just two weeks after Angel announced the launch of a theatrical division.
"For us to have a top three release in our first outing is something we're really thrilled about," Jared Geesey, senior vice president of global distribution at Angel Studios, told Christian Headlines.
His Only Son, he said, stands out from the crowd.
"There's all these big and loud movies in the box office," Geesey said. "And His Only Son is this refreshingly deep and contemplative story that's just in time for Easter and Holy Week. I think people are looking for something different."
Geesey credits the movie's success to the "Angel Guild," a group of about 100,000 investors who green-light projects.
"When we go to opening weekend, we're going to celebrate with a community that knows about these stories. They're really invested in these projects," Geesey said. "So we are not going to opening weekend wondering, 'Are we going to have an audience?' We're going to celebrate with the existing community that helped fund and create these projects themselves."
Meanwhile, Geesey said His Only Son is the "first of many" Angel movies on the horizon. Angel recently picked up the rights to Sound of Freedom, starring Jim Caviezel.
"Sound of Freedom is a riveting film that shares the story of one man's heroic efforts to rescue children from human trafficking," said Angel Studios CEO Neal Harmon. "Through this powerful cinematic experience, we aim to amplify the growing movement to expose this heinous violation of human rights and inspire people to take action, helping their communities put an end to this modern-day slavery once and for all."
Angel Studios is the same company that was behind The Chosen and The Wingfeather Saga.
Related:
4 Things You Should Know about 'His Only Son,' Angel Studio's Newest Movie
Photo courtesy: ©Angel Studios, used with permission.
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
