'His Only Son' Soars to Box Office Total of $11M on Easter Weekend

For the second weekend in a row, Angel Studios' first theatrical release has been projected to land in the top tier at the weekend box office. 

Movie audiences across the country have given their approval to His Only Son, the faith-based major motion picture created with a production budget of just $250,000. Current projections point to the film ending a strong Easter weekend showing in 5th or 6th place with $11,044,046.84 in the cumulative box office.

Described as "biblically accurate" and "authentic," the movie was released in theaters on March 31 by Angel Studios, the streaming platform behind the most successful faith-based crowd-funded show of all time, The Chosen.

As CBN News reported last month, the movie became the first theatrical film to crowdfund for marketing funds in order to pay for distribution and advertising expenses.

Tens of thousands of investors quickly took advantage of Angel's crowdfunding opportunity for His Only Son to pay for what is known in the entertainment industry as "P & A" or "Prints and Advertising." The movie had already been made. 

"HIS ONLY SON is the 'little indie that could'— a film made on a tiny budget by a director who went to film school on the G.I. Bill based on a story people have wrestled with for untold centuries. Our investors believed in the project and crowdfunded the P&A so the word could get out. This film was up against big studio films with serious marketing budgets, and yet, this film continues to turn in incredible numbers," said Jared Geesey, senior vice president of Global Distribution at Angel Studios. 

"We believe that the audience is the future of this industry, and we have faith they'll prove that over and over again with each new offering they choose to get behind," he added. 

His Only Son is an original biblical drama about one of the most heart-wrenching passages in the Bible when God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac on the mountain of Moriah. 

The motion picture illustrates the striking account of Abraham (played by Nicolas Mouawad), his son, and their two servants as they journey for three days to the place where the offering will be made. Along the way, the men encounter dangers and trials as Abraham silently relives memories spanning the decades he and his wife Sarah (played by Sara Sayed) longed for the son God had promised – the son he must now lay upon the altar. 

Answering age-old questions as to why the Lord would require such a sacrifice, His Only Son profoundly explores mankind's relationship with God and encourages viewers to turn inward and ask: Can your faith still stand when you are asked to give everything?

The movie received an 'A' CinemaScore audience rating, an 80% Rotten Tomatoes critics score, and a 96% audience score, according to the studio. 

In addition, more than 24,000 tickets were gifted by viewers for others to experience His Only Son in theaters via Angel Studios' "pay it forward" system, the studio said.  

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Angel Studios, the family-friendly, movie-making powerhouse has also produced several hugely successful shows including The Chosen, Dry Bar Comedy, and The Wingfeather Saga.

The Chosen, the first-ever multi-season TV series about the life of Jesus Christ, was one of the company's first projects which earned hundreds of millions of views around the world.

With moviegoers clamoring for more biblical stories, The Chosen series is currently shooting the fourth of seven planned seasons in Texas. 

His Only Son also follows the Feb. 24 release of the hugely successful faith-based film Jesus Revolution. As CBN News has reported, that film tells the true story behind the Jesus Movement of the 1970s, including how Pastor Chuck Smith welcomed hippies looking for truth at his church. 

Jesus Revolution stars Kelsey Grammer and Jonathan Roumie, the actor who also portrays Jesus in Angel Studios' The Chosen. As of April 10, that movie has made more than $51.7 million at the box office.