First, there was “Sound of Freedom.” Now, it’s the sound of a cash register that has streamers wading into Christian programming.
Fox Nation, the streaming sister of Fox News Channels, seems as good a place as any for that sort of thing. IndieWire can confirm that “The Passion of the Christ” and “The Chosen” are both headed to Fox Nation in the next few days — just in time for Easter! Hallelujah.
“Passion of the Christ” will be available on Fox Nation ($5.99 per month) tomorrow, March 8, 2024, and Seasons 1-3 of “The Chosen” will debut two days later. Deadline first reported the news of the acquisitions.
Scripture stuff is all the rage these days. On Tuesday, Netflix revealed the trailer for “Testament: The Story of Moses,” a three-part documentary series premiering on March 27, 2024. Easter 2024 is March 31. As the title states, that one is all about God’s voice on Earth. Not you, Pope Francis, we mean the OG one who parted the Red Sea.
Angel Studios’ feature-length film “Sound of Freedom” was the surprise box-office hit of Summer 2023. In total, it brought in about $250 million; about 10 percent of that came from the studio’s Pay-It-Forward program in which a moviegoer could buy and gift a “Sound of Freedom” ticket to a total stranger. Angel Studios will likely roll out the same campaign with its theatrical release of “Cabrini” — from the same director as “Sound of Freedom” — this weekend.
In his review, IndieWire’s David Ehrlich called “Cabrini” an “unbelievably dull biopic about the first American saint” — and that was just in the headline. He gave the film a “C-” grade; read his review here. Ehrlich liked “Ordinary Angels” a little bit more, ultimately grading it a “C.” “Ordinary Angels,” starring Hilary Swank and “Reacher’s” Alan Ritchson, has performed fine at the box office — given its relatively small budget, at least.
In its day, “The Passion of the Christ” (2004) was a massive hit. Written, directed, and produced by Mel Gibson, the Jim Caviezel- (he was Jesus) and Monica Bellucci-starring film made more than $600 million at the global box office. Adjusting for inflation, that’s about as big as “Barbie” in 2023.
“The Chosen” originally streamed on Angel Studios’ own platform. It was later licensed to mainstream streamers Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, and Netflix. “The Chosen” Season 4 is soon to debut first in theaters through Fathom Events.
