The faith-based motion picture Jesus Revolution is now showing in international markets, thanks to its success in the U.S., the film’s co-director said.
Christian Headlines reports the hit movie has been released in Singapore, Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand, and will soon be seen by movie audiences in the United Kingdom and Latin America.
John Erwin, the movie’s co-director, told the outlet the international film market opened up due to its success in the U.S.
As CBN News has reported, the film earned a whopping $52 million in theaters. It opened at the box office at the No. 3 spot and remained in the top 10 for several weeks.
“Entertainment is America’s second-largest export behind agriculture,” Erwin told Christian Headlines. “So when you make something popular in the U.S., and when an audience really champions it, they send it around the world. And so a lot of Christians might not realize that as we support a film here, it enables a global release.”
“A lot of people ask, are we just preaching to the choir? We found it’s actually the choir that launches the product,” he told the outlet. “The more the faith audience champions something, whether it’s our movie or ‘The Chosen’, they send it out. So really, if a big movie becomes successful, and you saw it in America, 10 other people are gonna see it around the world because of you. And I think that’s not something that people understand. It’s really cool.”
“The whole reason we made the movie was if God did it before it, God can do it again,” Erwin told Christian Headlines. “The world needs a Jesus revolution, perhaps now more than any other time in my lifetime.”
As CBN News has reported, the movie tells the true story behind the Jesus Movement of the 1970s, including how Pastor Chuck Smith welcomed hippies at Calvary Chapel as they were looking for truth. That invitation helped to fuel one of the greatest spiritual awakenings in American history.
Greg and his wife Cathe Laurie were two of those young people who were welcomed by Smith. They were seekers who soon became part of the Jesus Movement and eventually went on to pastor Harvest Christian Fellowship.
Laurie wrote the book Jesus Revolution on which the film was based.
The audience accolades for the film just keep coming. First, the movie was a box office hit. Then in April, it was a top seller on Amazon Prime. Last month, it reached the No.1 spot in the U.S. in DVD/Blu-ray sales.
The film’s cast includes Kelsey Grammer who portrays Chuck Smith. Grammer, 67, is a Christian. He’s well known for the character of Frasier Crane whom he played for 20 years in the television series Frasier and Cheers.
Jesus Revolution is a Kingdom Story film in collaboration with Lionsgate.
Other members of the cast include The Chosen’s Jonathan Roumie, Joel Courtney, Anna Grace Barlow, and Kimberly Williams-Paisley.
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