Hollywood embraces religion with films like ‘The Chosen’ and ‘House of David’
Krysta Fauria
Los Angeles: Josh O’Connor plays a fiery priest with a complicated past, Keanu Reeves is an angel who’s lost his wings, and Elizabeth Olsen has a romantic dilemma in the afterlife.
Looks like Hollywood has found God.
But it’s not just starry, big-budget Netflix movies or A24 indies that grapple with religion and its place in entertainment. In recent years, there has been an explosion of films and television that preach or depict a particular faith, most often Christianity, that are made from a confessional perspective and perform particularly well with audiences.
Like the upcoming musical, Angel also has Bible-related animated movies DavidThe company said docudramas like Martin Scorsese’s had surpassed $US14 million ($21 million) in theatrical pre-sale tickets ahead of their U.S. release last week. saints. While season 2 episodes continue to be broadcast, the first season of the Fox Nation series, which premiered last year, became the most watched season on the platform.
“There has been a resurgence, a revolution of sorts, in spirituality and faith content,” Traci Blackwell, head of targeted content for Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, said at a recent meeting. Diversity Event held in Beverly Hills for faith and spirituality in entertainment. Earlier this year, Amazon premiered the first season of its own Bible drama. House of Davidand obtained exclusive US broadcast rights SelectedA very popular drama series about the life of Jesus.
‘Chosen’ effect
Historically some faith-based entertainment has performed well at the box office – Mel Gibson’s 2004 epic Passion of Jesus It is known to have been the highest-grossing R-rated film in the United States and Canada for two decades. But faith-based hits have been few and far between for most of this century.
“Hollywood has come under a lot of criticism from people in the faith community for not providing films that speak to them and reflect their values,” said Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s senior media analyst, emphasizing the box office potential of faith-based films.
Studios are realizing that faith-based film and television is a worthwhile investment, at least in part because of its success. SelectedAlthough it initially took time to see these results, which Angel helped launch in 2017.
“It was like pulling teeth to get people to watch,” Angel CEO and co-founder Neal Harmon recalled. “People have this idea that faith means bullshit or preachy. And we had to overcome that hurdle.”
Once they did it, it paid off. Since Fathom Entertainment began distribution Selected The series grossed more than $116 million domestically in theaters in 2023.
Although Angel is not a Christian company, it aims to distribute and market “values-based entertainment” that includes but is not limited to stories of faith. They released a number of religious films. Zero ADA biblical epic about the Massacre of the Innocents described in the Gospel of Matthew is on the shelves in 2026.
Meanwhile, Lionsgate will premiere I Can Only Imagine 2 The sequel to the 2018 biopic starring Dennis Quaid, one of the highest-grossing Christian films of all time in the United States, hits theaters in February.
Co-director Andrew Erwin said he noticed a “major shift” taking place about five years ago, after years of a disconnect between the demand for such films and Hollywood’s willingness to make them.
“This is the first time movie studios are really giving us a fair shake,” he said, although he thinks the quality of the content is also a factor. “We didn’t know how to do the filmmaking side of things. So I think the storytelling has gotten a lot better.”
Lionsgate is also set to distribute the first part of Gibson’s two-part sequel. Passion of Jesus In 2027.
Definition of ‘faith-based’
Trying to define what counts as faith-based programming is a bit like trying to define what counts as pornography.
Themes of faith, guilt, and “foolish grace” abound in O’Connor’s work. Wake the Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery — the third installment of filmmaker Rian Johnson’s hit Netflix series. But few people would call it a religious movie.
Amanda Seyfried preaches celibacy and endures persecution Ann Lee’s WillThe musical biopic about the founder of the Shakers sect will be released in US and Australian cinemas for Christmas in February. But among all the praise and Oscar buzz surrounding the film, there’s little talk about the film’s connection to faith.
Even Scorsese’s 1988 The Last Temptation of Christ or filmmaker Paul Schrader’s Oscar-nominated First ReformationThis film, which also stars Seyfried, is not generally thought of as Christian films, although both men are outspoken about their traditions.
“This movie was his way of exploring his faith and discovering who his God was,” said Scorsese’s daughter Francesca, who directed one of the episodes. saintshe said The Last Temptation of Christ.
Conversely, the people behind some of these latest projects resist calling them overtly religious, even if audiences might perceive them that way.
“I wouldn’t describe him as overtly Christian,” said Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus. Selectedhe told the Associated Press last year. “This is a historical drama centered on Jesus.”
It can be a double-edged sword for studios and filmmakers to admit that a project is told from a religious perspective.
“If you’re willing to go to the theater for a faith-based movie, you know you’ll be surrounded by people who are truly interested in the experience,” Dergarabedian said. “Once you say faith-based though, it kind of puts the movie in the can.”
Is it a fad or are you here to stay?
Many Christians celebrate this trend beyond its monetary potential. Grammy-nominated Christian recording artist Phil Wickham, who voices the character David in the upcoming film Angel, said it is gratifying to see the success of programs like the one below. Selected And House of David.
“Growing up, everything that was Christian media seemed very preachy,” Wickham said. “Even when I was a pastor’s kid, that was a turnoff. But I think there are more opportunities now to tell bigger stories throughout a series, and there are more people who are willing to really dig in and tell something perfect and beautiful.”
While it’s too early to tell whether a major shift is taking place in Hollywood or whether this is just a short-term fad, the success of some of these projects stands out at a precarious time for business.
“Hollywood often follows the money,” said Jason Klarman, Fox News Media’s chief digital and marketing officer, while promoting Fox Nation’s slate of faith-based content, including Zachary Levi’s. David: King of Israel docudrama. “We will continue to do this even when the trend ends.”
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US and funding from Lilly Endowment Inc.
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