By Matthew Conroy
Matthew 28:19 in the Bible makes the Christian mission clear: “Go, and make disciples of all nations.” The Christian call is to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ, and entertainment is a great way to do that. In the past few months, we have seen a surge of Christian content entering mainstream attention. What started as a small, crowd-funded mini-series called The Chosen has now made it big. Last month, The Chosen made Amazon MGM Studios its new streaming and theatrical home. On March 27, The Chosen debuted the first part of their 5th season, the Last Supper. This month, the second and third parts will be in theatres. After a shocking $11.5 million weekend in March, it is clear that faith-based entertainment is growing.
The Chosen is not the only Christian show that has made it big. House of David debuted on Amazon Prime Video on Feb. 27. The show got 22 million views within the first three weeks of debuting and has been renewed for a second season. The surge is also taking the form of animation. On April 11, an animated film called The King of Kings, starring Oscar Isaac, hit theaters. These are just three notable examples of the genre on the rise. Critics might say that Easter is around the corner, so of course there will be more Christian entertainment being released. While that may be true, the numbers indicate that faith-based content is here to stay, and it’s time for Hollywood and the streaming world to embrace it.
The Chosen began in 2017, focusing on the calling of the first apostles. Simon Peter (played by Shahar Isaac) and Andrew (played by Noah James) are in deep financial debt. They are being persecuted by Matthew (played by Paras Patel) and the Romans. The first season displays the bond between the brothers, the tension between the Romans and the Israelites, and Jesus’ (played by Jonathan Roumie) knack for rescuing just at the right time. Eight years later, The Chosen is knee-deep in its fifth season and has proven to be a hit. However, there is still a stigma around religious content. In the past, Christian content has often been copy-and-paste Bible stories that can feel void of emotion, but shows like The Chosen are different.
“When you say religious, a gate goes down in people’s minds that have sensitivities to that word — for whatever reason, whatever experience they’ve had,” Roumie said to People. “And all of a sudden they will not watch it.”
The Chosen has drawn so many viewers because of its humanity; it delivers on biblical stories, but it develops characters, builds the relationship between Jesus and his disciples, and the disciples’ relationships with each other. The show makes people feel something, and that’s why people love it. The show’s unexpected success has paved the way for the House of David, The King of Kings, and many more future projects. The Chosen has a 9.1/10 IMDb rating, and The Atlantic called it “Christian America’s Must-See TV Show.” The Christian Post also reported that The Chosen drew half a million viewers during its debut on CW Network, which was a larger audience than Riverdale, Nancy Drew, Gotham Knights, and Superman and Lois.
In its current theatrical run, The Chosen is near the top of the charts. The money is there; the audience is there, so Hollywood and the rest of the industry might as well move on with the times and embrace the popularity of Christian content.
House of David is the newest hit to enter the faith genre. It has completed its first season, and the second season has begun its production. The first season has focused on David’s (played by Michael Iskander) anointing as King of Israel by the Prophet Samuel (played by Stephen Lang) and King Saul’s (played by Ali Suliman) spiral into madness. It then concludes with the classic David and Goliath story. House of David, like The Chosen, has the same premise: entertainment first, but religious experiences are encouraged. That same human emotion is what makes these kinds of series stand out from their predecessors. The relationship between David and Mychal is one of the driving emotional forces in the show, along with David’s memory of his mother.
We can all relate to that. By taking biblical stories and making them emotional, relatable, and fun — without damaging the source material — Christians can share their faith through engaging entertainment. The question is, should Hollywood also get on board with this? IMDb rates House of David 7.2/10, and Rotten Tomatoes’ Popcornmeter gives it 91%. On Prime Video, House of David holds the number two spot on the top 10 list, overtaking the massive hit Invincible. It’s hard to ignore that kind of success.
Christian content is also stepping into animation. The King of Kings tells the story of renowned author Charles Dickens telling his son the story of Jesus Christ. This will be the first big faith-based theatrical animation release since The Prince of Egypt in 1998. Angel Studios indicates that 1,738 theatres have sold out across the country as of April 12. The excitement is palpable. Unlike The Chosen and House of David, The King of Kings is a kids’ movie and will have to compete with A Minecraft Movie. This entry into the animation world is overdue and could be the beginning of something big. We do not have the results to judge, but we will soon. The emotion and humor are present in the trailer, which echo the themes of The Chosen and House of David. Once again, biblical stories with human emotion will sell.
It would be naive if we did not acknowledge the fact that Easter is right around the corner. Christians around the world have been preparing for the most important day in the Christian calendar. Perhaps this could be a reason for its success. The Chosen has been growing over the last eight years, and it’s gotten bigger each season. As a catalyst for this faith-based content revolution, it has created the opportunity for its counterparts to succeed, and we will be able to measure the success of House of David when the second season releases. The genre has been growing through The Chosen for years, regardless of the time of year.
The entertainment industry has a decision to make. It can either follow in Prime Video’s footsteps and help Christian entertainment grow or try to snuff it out. Based on the success of The Chosen, House of David, and potentially The King of Kings, it is safe to say that faith-based content is now a big market in entertainment. Top movies and shows like Invincible and Snow White are being defeated, which tells us that Hollywood must get on the bandwagon and embrace these stories. The Gospel of Matthew records that as Jesus called Simon and Andrew to be his disciples, he told them they would be fishers of people. Using entertainment would be an excellent way for modern Christians to bring people to the gospel today.
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The healing of the leper. Photo courtesy of The Chosen Press Center.