'King of Kings': Charles Dickens' Story About Life of Jesus Scores #2 Spot at Box Office

A new animated film about the life of Jesus stunned the box office when it hit theaters over the weekend. 

Angel Studios' newest release "King of Kings" landed in the No. 2 spot and earned more than $19 million after launching on 3,200 screens. 

The animated film is based on a Charles Dickens tale, where the author tells his son, Walter, about a kind and humble king who gave his life for mankind. 

"We're thrilled to see The King of Kings connect so deeply with audiences," said Brandon Purdie, Global Head of Theatrical Distribution & Brand Development. "This film is a testament to the power of storytelling that amplifies light and brings families together. Our Angel Guild and global community of supporters have once again shown that there's a massive audience eager for stories that inspire and uplift." 

The movie depicts biblical stories about Jesus and features well-known actors such as Pierce Brosnan, Oscar Isaac, Forest Whitaker, Mark Hamill, Kenneth Branagh, Uma Thurman, and more.

The film, which was produced in South Korea, has now become the highest-grossing debut of a faith-based animated film since DreamWorks Animation's The Prince of Egypt in 1998. 

"Animation has been a key driver to the box office, with 4 of the top 10 box office films of 2024 being animated features, with crowds also responding to biblical narratives. According to The Numbers, the top animated film releases in this genre was The Prince of Egypt which opened at $14.5M, and The Star and Jonah, which opened at $9.8M and $6.2M respectively," Angel noted.

The film has resonated with audiences earning an A+ CinemaScore and is 97% certified fresh with audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.

According to Christianity Today, the movie creators's choice to have the storyline framed around Dickens has a historical basis. 

Dickens, who is famous for novels like A Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, and A Tale of Two Cities, also wrote a lesser known book about Jesus. 

After Dickens wrote The Life of Our Lord, he chose to read it to his children every Christmas. It was a treasured story for his family, so much so that Dickens refused to publish it. 

The tale, which was written in the 1840s, was so personal to his family that it remained unpublished until around the 1930s after his last child died. 

Although the "King of Kings" and The Life of Our Lord differ in a few ways, the central premise is the same – a father and son embark on an imaginative journey through the life of Jesus, delivering a fresh and heartfelt take on the greatest story ever told.

Overall, it was a big weekend for faith-based films.  

"The Chosen: Last Supper" saw its latest two installments finish at the No. 6 spot while its previous release finished at No. 10.

Altogether the three films raked in more than $30 million. Raymond Arroyo, host of the "Arroyo Grande with Raymond Arroyo" podcast, told Fox News it is a clear sign that American audiences yearn for faith-based content. 

"They've smartly identified and understood that there is a massive underserved audience there of not only faithful people looking for depictions of faith on the screen and in their entertainment, but you also have families with very few options of places they can take their family to be entertained," he explained.

Arroyo added, "The Kings of Kings" has got "winner written all over...When your audience wants something, you have to find a way to give it to them."

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