The box office success of “Christmas With The Chosen: The Messengers,” shows that there is “room at the Inn” for a religious movie that follows the events surrounding the birth of Jesus from the perspective of Mary and Joseph, and that americans will step out of their living rooms and return to the movie theater for a special event.
The Messengers debuted in movie theaters only on Dec. 1, and was released in theaters by Fathom, 1,700 theaters across the country, including in Port Chester and at the Cortland Town Center in Mohegan Lake.
After the first day, $1.5 Million in tickets were sold. After the first week, more than $10 Million in tickets were sold, and now after a 12 day run in theaters, more than 1 million tickets were sold with a gross of $13 Million. Not bad for a movie that was shown in less thasn half of the theaters across the country (1,700). Other big name movies released this month like The House of Gucci, opened in 3,400 theaters. Guicci has grossed $38 Million.
“When we decided to do a special Christmas episode, we knew it would be the ideal moment to get this on the big screen,” said Dallas Jenkins, the creator and executive producer of The Chosen series. “It’s the first chance ‘Chosen’ fans have had to gather all over the country, so we intend to make it worth it. And with all the incredible musicians assembled, this is a perfect event for inviting friends.”
The Chosen series, which portrays the life and times of Jesus Christ, has become a global sensation. It’s first season was released in 2019, and was funded and supported through crowdfundng and a “Pay it Forward” effort where viewers supported the production, and their contributions helped others to watch it for free.
Seasons one and two of The Chosen were paid for by $40 Million in donations, and Season three is now in production. Jenkins wanted to give the millions of The Chosen watchers a Christmas gift, and The Messengers special was born.
The Chosen is produced by Loaves & Fishes Productions and distributed by Angel Studios. It has been translated in 50 languages and The Chosen App is in the top 50 in the world. Anyone can download the app and watch The Chosen for free. The Chosen series has been downloaded more than 200 million times.
With the movie theater business still reeling from COVID, the success of The Messengers is even more impressive. “We knew we had something special with this title,” said Ray Nutt, CEO of Fathom Events. “We are grateful for the passionate fans of The Chosen and our exhibitor partners who accommodated demand by adding showtimes and locations. We are all partners on this journey to claim the #1 spot as Fathom’s best-selling event, ever!”
“‘The Chosen’ was birthed from my biggest career failure when few people showed up in theaters for my previous film. To sit in a theater full of people clapping and crying for Christmas music with an episode of a TV show about Jesus was an overwhelming experience. For me, it’s about impact and seeing what God is doing. God has something to say and I’m just wanting to be a part of it. The enthusiastic comments from new and old fans give us confidence to do this again,” said jenkins
“Christmas With The Chosen: The Messengers,” included a one-hour musical introduction from artists including Phil Wickham, Maverick City Music, for KING & COUNTRY, Brandon Lake and more. “There’s not many people singing about the joy in the world right now,” Wickham said,“But I believe that, though happiness comes and goes, in faith in Jesus there is always a joy accessible. I’ve also heard it said, ‘Happiness is based on happenings, but joy is based on Jesus.’ … We are here to spread that good news. I think it’s a powerful message for this time of year in general.”
After a two week success in theaters, Jenkins will now release the special online Sunday, Dec. 12 at 8pm, on the social channels of The Chosen as well as the mobile app. In a post on The Chosen Facebook page, the creators said, “When the theater chains told us they wanted to extend our run in theaters, our response was, ‘That’s great, but those who can’t see it in theaters have waited long enough.’ So we’ll see you LIVE Sunday night, Dec. 12, 8:00 ET, for Christmas With The Chosen: The Messengers. How awesome will it be if people all over the world sing along with the dozen artists performing Christmas songs and then experience our portrayal of the birth of Christ?”
Learn more about “The Chosen” Christmas special at Thechosen.tv/Christmas.
