The Christian movie Jesus Revolution will be shown in 100 additional theaters after a successful box office run in its first week of release.
“We’ve added 100 new theaters for this weekend!! The audience reaction has blown us all away, and we’re thrilled to be bringing JESUS REVOLUTION to more cities!” the Kingdom Story Company announced on its Facebook page.
Jesus Revolution, which tells the true story of the hippie Jesus movement in the late 1960s, grossed $16 million after being released into 2,475 theaters in its opening weekend, according to Box Office Mojo. It will now be available in 2,575 theaters.
As Breitbart News previously reported, the film trounced initial box office expectations:
Jesus Revolution easily beat Hollywood’s expectations for its opening weekend, exceeding box office estimates by more than twofold.
The Christian-themed comedy-drama, starring Kelsey Grammer, grossed $15.9 million at the weekend box office, finishing at No. 3. Analysts had expected the Lionsgate release to earn between $6 million and $7 million on its first weekend.
Jesus Revolution has benefited from enthusiastic word-of-mouth, with moviegoers giving it an A+ Cinemascore rating. The movie even managed to win over some mainstream movie critics, who praised the movie’s warmth and unexpected sense of humor.
Audiences have largely raved about the film, giving it a 99 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while critics have been somewhat mixed. Though still “Fresh,” the film currently holds 60 percent critics rating on RT while holding a 7.8 rating on IMDB based on 2.6k votes.
We polled @JesusRevMovie and it scored an A+ grade! Congrats to #JonErwin, @brentmccorkle, @JonathanRoumie, #NicholasCirillo, @kelsythekilljoyand the entire cast and crew! #CinemaScore pic.twitter.com/oqHDeRJtXU
— CinemaScore (@CinemaScore) February 25, 2023
Much of the film’s success has also been attributed to the Asbury Christian revival in Kentucky. Leading up to the film’s release, Jon Erwin, the co-director, said the time was providential.
“For years, we’ve been working on this story. We almost got it made, and then COVID got it shut down,” he told the Christian Post. “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.”
As to the revival, Erwin said it felt like scenes from the movie.
“It felt just like the scenes of the movie, like it felt identical, just the emotion of it, which was why we made the movie,” he said. “I just want it to feel awakening, a little bit; renewal, a little bit. And you felt it in that room.”