Christian Movies Hit Box Office Just In Time For Easter [Video]
Christian movies at the box office seem to be few and far between, but that seems to be changing. The NY Daily News posted about a few Christian movies which are hitting the box office this month just in time for the Easter holiday. Risen, which tells the story of a Roman soldier who comes to believe in Christ, is now in theaters. According to Newsbusters, Risen came in at third place at the box office during its opening weekend, and has already grossed almost $26 million. The Young Messiah, a movie about the early years of Jesus, is hitting the big screen this Friday, March 11. Miracles From Heaven, starring Jennifer Garner and Queen Latifah, is scheduled to open on March 18, and God’s Not Dead 2 will open in theaters April 1.
Wow!! #RisenMovie is the 3rd on this week box office. I'm glad to see Christian movies at the movies.
— Elizabeth (@Liizbeth_M) February 21, 2016
Risen, stars Joseph Fiennes as Clavius, a Roman soldier tasked with investigating the disappearance of an executed Jew’s body, which is, of course, Jesus, and the Jewish priests’ refusal to believe in his resurrection. Clavius is definitely a non-believer and wants to disprove the theory of a risen messiah in order to prevent an uprising in Jerusalem. Clavius attempts to locate the corpse of Jesus and arrest any disciples who were involved in the removal of his body. Ultimately Clavius will learn who Jesus really was and why the Jewish priests and leaders wanted Jesus out of the way.
https://youtu.be/UGzns9_KaWg
The Young Messiah is a screen adaptation of Anne Rice’s novel Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt and is directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh. It is about the life of a young Jesus. The Young Messiah follows 7-year-old Jesus and his family as they depart Egypt and return to Nazareth after escaping King Herod’s massacre of Nazarene children in order to kill the young messiah. After the death of Herod, Joseph and Mary decide to return to Nazareth, their home. However, Herod’s son is determined to follow through with his father’s plans to see Jesus killed. The movie is told from the young Jesus’ perspective and will follow him through to his discovery of his purpose.
Miracles From Heaven, another one of the Christian movies hitting the box offices this month, stars Jennifer Garner and Queen Latifah, along with Martin Henderson (Everest), Brighton Sharbino (Lizzie, The Walking Dead), and Kylie Rogers (Minx, The Whispers). Garner plays Christy Beam, the mother of a young girl who becomes sick due to a rare digestive disorder but is miraculously healed after the mother prays to God to help her.
The incredible story that will make you believe in miracles again. #MiraclesFromHeaven in theaters March 16. pic.twitter.com/3M4MX7Ii6j
— Miracles From Heaven (@MiraclesHeaven) March 5, 2016
This story of faith and miracles is based on a book written by Christy Beam. Latifah plays a Boston waitress who becomes friends with the sick girl and her mother and gives them hope and comfort. Henderson plays Christy’s husband, Kevin, Brighton is cast as the Beams’ oldest daughter Abby, and Kylie plays Anna, the daughter who is stricken with a rare disease.
Last, but not least, in the list of Christian movies coming out soon is God’s Not Dead 2. God’s Not Dead 2 is the sequel to the 2014 faith-based movie, and stars Melissa Joan Hart (Melissa & Joey) as a high school teacher, Grace Wesley, who is fighting for her career after answering a question about Jesus in her classroom. Jesse Metcalfe (Dallas) plays her attorney, Tom Endler. The movie pits the teacher against people who want God completely out of schools.
The first movie, God’s Not Dead, is about the quest of a Christian student (Shane Harper) who wants to prove to his disillusioned philosophy professor (Kevin Sorbo) that God is not dead. The professor is angry at God and requires his students to sign a statement saying that “God is dead” and does not exist. The student refuses to sign the statement and the professor challenges his position and says the student must prove that God is real if he wants to stay in his class. Released at the box office in 2014, God’s Not Dead had grossed $64 million as of June of 2014.
What are your views on this new trend of Christian movies at the box office? Do you hope they will continue in the future? Please feel free to comment below.
[Image Via YouTube]
