After opening in the Top 10 at the box office, Sight & Sound Films' first theatrical movie has been extended.
I Heard the Bells, which tells the faith-based story of 1800s poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, has "been extended in movie theaters nationwide" with "nearly a thousand theaters across the country adding dates and showtimes," according to an email from Sight & Sound Films.
The film opened at No. 6 in theaters with a gross of $2 million. Its per-theater average ($1,849) ranked No. 4 among movies playing in 1,000-plus locations.
Director Joshua Enck, the president and chief story officer of Sight & Sound, recorded a video thanking the "hundreds of thousands of you who came out to experience" the movie.
"We are overwhelmed by the stories that are pouring in from across the country," Enck said. "And because of the incredible response at the box office, we just found out that the release is being extended, and more showtimes and locations are being added nationwide. Truly, we don't know how to say thank you enough. Your support means the world to us.
"We never would have dreamed that this new chapter of making films would start with a movie in the top 10 at the box office," Enck added. "But above all, thank you for making it possible for this story of hope to ring out for so many people."
Following a personal tragedy, Longfellow wrote the poem that became the popular Christmas song I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. He is also known for penning the famous poem Paul Revere's Ride (1861), which propelled Revere into American folklore.
"He was a celebrity," Enck told Christian Headlines.
Longfellow also was a Christian.
Sight & Sound Films is a branch of Sight & Sound Theatres, which produces Bible-themed Broadway-style musicals in Lancaster, Pa., and Branson, Mo.
Related:
Sight & Sound's First Movie, I Heard the Bells, Is a Story 'of Hope' in Christ
4 Things You Should Know about 'I Heard the Bells,' Sight & Sound's First Movie
Photo courtsey: ©Sight & Sound, 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.
