The box office hit Jesus Revolution is now a home video hit, too.
Jesus Revolution climbed to No. 1 in the United States in DVD/Blu-ray sales and a separate Blu-ray-only chart according to data released during the first week this month, topping such titles as Cocaine Bear, Magic Mike's Last Dance, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and Top Gun: Maverick. In its second week of release, Jesus Revolution dropped only to No. 2 on both charts. Media Play News first reported the data.
The movie tells the story of a hippie-led revival in the 1960s and 70s that launched in California before spreading nationwide. It spawned the ministries of Chuck Smith, Greg Laurie and Lonnie Frisbee, among others.
Jesus Revolution grossed more than $50 million at the box office and stayed in the Top 10 for five weeks. It was made by the same company that produced I Can Only Imagine and American Underdog.
"I think it caught Hollywood off guard that a drama, a little faith-based drama, did this," Brent McCorkle, who co-directed Jesus Revolution and composed the music, told Christian Headlines this week. "I think it's great for cinema, I think it's great for the faith market."
The movie earned an A+ rating at CinemaScore, which polls moviegoers after they've watched a film. It also received a score of 99 (out of 100) from verified moviegoers at Rotten Tomatoes.
The film has a message that society needs to hear, McCorkle said.
"I think this is a movie that tries to include and tell everybody that they're loved and that they're made in the image of God, and that their life has value," he told Christian Headlines.
"If we come together and try to love each other, a lot of this stuff's gonna get sorted out," he said, referencing societal divisions. The film "just kind of doubles down on what I think are the things that we should be focusing on as a culture and also as people of faith." Those things, he said, are kindness, compassion, empathy and belonging.
It stars Jonathan Roumie (The Chosen) as Lonnie Frisbee, Kelsey Grammer (Cheers, Frasier) as Chuck Smith, Joel Courtney as Greg Laurie, Kimberly Williams-Paisley (Father of the Bride) as Laurie's mother and Anna Grace Barlow as Laurie's girlfriend and future wife Cathe.
Related:
4 Things You Should Know about 'Jesus Revolution'
Kelsey Grammer Weeps While Discussing 'Jesus Revolution': 'I Love this Movie'
'Jesus Revolution' Is an 'Opportunity for Evangelism,' Producer Says of Feb. 24 Film
Photo courtesy: ©Lionsgate, 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.
