A Record-Breaking Debut for Angel Studios’ Latest Animated Film
In a remarkable weekend performance, Angel Studios’ animated feature “The King of Kings” made a significant impact at the box office with a projected $19 million in domestic earnings. This achievement not only marks the highest debut for a biblical animated film but also earns the film an illustrious A+ CinemaScore, a rarity in the industry.
Debuting across 3,200 screens, the film amassed approximately $7 million on Friday, $6.8 million on Saturday, and $5.2 million on Sunday, according to figures from Angel Studios.
The total weekend earnings of $19,050,397 set a new benchmark for biblical animated films, surpassing previous records held by “The Prince of Egypt” ($14.5 million), “The Star” ($9.8 million), and “Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie” ($6.2 million), as reported by The Numbers.
Brandon Purdie, Global Head of Theatrical Distribution & Brand Development at Angel, highlighted the significance of audience engagement in the film’s success. “The Angel Guild picks winners,” he stated. “Angel’s revolutionary idea is simple: know your audience — and listen to them. The CinemaScore for The King of Kings says it all. The film is one of only 128 films to achieve an A+ CinemaScore, and only the fifth animated film to hold that title that isn’t a Pixar/Disney production.”
Inspired by Charles Dickens’ book The Life of Our Lord, the film presents the story of Jesus Christ through a child’s perspective. The animation employs a unique blend of modern virtual cinematography and Victorian-era aesthetics, featuring a distinguished voice cast that includes Kenneth Branagh, Uma Thurman, Pierce Brosnan, Mark Hamill, Forest Whitaker, Ben Kingsley, Oscar Isaac, and Roman Griffin Davis. Kristin Chenoweth contributes to the film’s original music, co-writing and performing the closing song, “Live Like That.”
The narrative unfolds as Dickens shares the story of Jesus with his son, transforming a simple bedtime story into an immersive journey through the Gospel, seen through the eyes of a child.
Director Seong-Ho Jang, a South Korean filmmaker, expressed his motivation for the project in an interview with The Christian Post. “As a Christian myself, I was a little bit surprised that there aren’t any feature film animations that talk about Jesus’ story,” he shared. “So there was big motivation for me.”
Jang also emphasized the importance of reaching younger audiences in South Korea, where church attendance is on the decline. “There are a lot of Christians in Korea,” he noted. “But sadly, not many young people are going to church. I thought, there’s a need for someone to deliver the message of Jesus in the right way.”
The film’s message is centered around the theme of love, as Jang explained his goal: “This entire project began with my thinking that I wanted to extract just one word from the entire Bible. I thought that was love. Jesus is love. I want [the audience] to feel that the reason for His sacrifice is His love for us.”
Cinematographer and producer Woo-hyung Kim discussed the innovative techniques used in the film’s production, which involved advanced motion capture and virtual production to create a cinematic experience akin to a live-action epic. “We hired the actors first, and then we captured the motions,” Kim explained. “And then once it completes, I go into the virtual world with my virtual camera and I do the camera movements there, again and again.”
This article was originally written by www.christiantoday.com
