Heavenly Entertainment Soars in Popularity
While some appear determined to suppress religious freedom and expression, it turns out people are having none of it and are turning on their TVs and heading to the movies for true inspiration.
Much of the inspiration is being offered via Angel Studios, a platform and studio, that, through its investors, allows filmmakers to crowdfund, create, and distribute films and television series around the world.
Last Sunday, the studio’s blockbuster television series The Chosen made its broadcast debut on The CW Network averaging “520,000 viewers — a far mightier audience than, say, Riverdale, Nancy Drew and The Rising have been averaging this summer — and a 0.1 rating,” reported TVLine this week.
Based on the ministry of Jesus as he gathers his first disciples, The Chosen’s success as it premiered on network TV drew the cover story of TV Guide this week.
TVInsider published an excerpt of the TV Guide interview with The Chosen’s creator Dallas Jenkins and the actor who plays Jesus, Jonathan Roumie:
Talk about a 21st-century miracle. The faith-based series has converted a mass of impassioned viewers to rival any Yellowstone or The Walking Dead fanbase — without marquee stars or aggressive marketing … The show’s first three seasons have been available for free via the Chosen app and the Angel Studios website, as well as on streamers like Netflix and Prime Video, but you can now watch the series’ broadcast debut on The CW as it airs 24 divine weekly episodes from Sunday, July 16, through Christmas Eve.
“The Chosen is based on the biggest IP of all time and is truly a one-of-a-kind series that tells this historically significant story in a captivating, dramatic, and premium way,” The CW Network’s President of Entertainment Brad Schwartz told the Christian Post. “This show has already connected deeply with viewers around the world, and The CW will expand its audience even further.”
“Over 100 million people have seen at least one episode,” Jenkins told TV Guide amid filming The Chosen’s Season 4 in Goshen, Utah.
The show’s creator posted the cover shot of Roumie, in his role as Jesus, on Instagram.
“When I was growing up, I loved TV Guide … I loved reading the recaps, and because I wasn’t allowed to watch most of the shows listed, it was my primary connection to this world of entertainment I was intrigued by,” Jenkins wrote. “And I remember thinking even back then, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if there was good stuff in here related to stories of faith?’ But it seemed impossible.”
“Now check this out…in the upcoming issue, our little show is on the cover,” he continued. “Can you believe it?”
Amid the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) union strike, The Chosen was granted what was reported to be the first known exemption waiver to continue filming its fourth season largely because it is “entirely independent and 100% funded by donations,” the show’s official Twitter account stated.
On Sunday, Angel Studios also announced its wildly popular film Sound of Freedom, which exposes the dark world of child trafficking, finished its third weekend, since it opened in America on July 4, stronger than its first weekend.
The film is based on the true story of former government agent Tim Ballard, who left his job to save a little girl from sex traffickers in the Colombian jungle, but ended up rescuing 123 people, among them 55 children, during only one mission.
The independent film, promoted by its star Jim Caviezel, who portrays Ballard, surged to nearly $125 million total cumulative box office revenue through Sunday, “with a strong $20,140,647 box office draw in the third weekend of the film’s domestic release,” a press release stated.
“Sound of Freedom is continuing its unbelievable ride.” said Brandon Purdie, head of Theatrical Distribution at Angel Studios, in a statement. “Word continues to spread, and crowds are continuing to show up, which is how this film ended up doing more business in its third weekend than its first. As we begin to look toward the international box office, Angel Studios intends to continue to push here at home. We want every American to see this landmark film.”