Oscar Isaac’s ‘The King of Kings’ Breaks Records

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The animated movie led by Oscar Isaac, titled “The King of Kings“, stands out as it narrates the life story of Jesus Christ in a unique way reminiscent of Charles Dickens telling a tale. This South Korean production was bought by Angel Studios, the same company that made headlines in 2023 with the successful acquisition of Sound of Freedom. The film boasts an impressive voice cast consisting of Oscar Isaac, Kenneth Branagh, Uma Thurman, Pierce Brosnan, Mark Hamill, Ben Kingsley, and Forest Whitaker, among others. Its strategic release a week before Easter has proven to be profitable.

According to Deadline’s report, “The King of Kings” earned $19 million during its debut weekend, placing it second at the box office behind “A Minecraft Movie.” This impressive figure surpassed the opening weekend gross of “The Prince of Egypt” (1998) by $5 million, making it the highest-grossing opening for an animated biblical film. Furthermore, “The King of Kings” received a rare A+ CinemaScore rating, shared by only 128 films and the second of 2025 to earn this distinction after “Bob Trevino Likes It.” In a statement, Brandon Purdie, Global Head of Theatrical Distribution & Brand Development at Angel, commented:

The Angel Guild determines the top choices. Essentially, we follow the recommendations of our Angel Guild. The CinemaScore for “The King of Kings” speaks volumes. It’s one of just 128 films to earn an A+ CinemaScore, and it’s only the 5th non-Pixar/Disney animated film to do so. It seems that families are seeking high-quality movies to enjoy together at the cinema. This weekend’s box office results mirror the preferences of moviegoers.

Breaking Down ‘The Kings of Kings’ Box Office

The film titled “The King of Kings” has truly earned its praise, outperforming other new releases such as “Drop”, “The Amateur”, and “Warfare”. This achievement is remarkable by any standard, and it’s also noteworthy that it shares the top 5 openings in 2025 with “Mickey 17”. It trails only “A Minecraft Movie”, “Captain America: Brave New World”, “Snow White”, and “Dogman”. However, the box office success of this film is more complex than it appears. Angel Studios launched a program called “Kids Go Free” on their website, which allowed people to buy an adult ticket and receive a child’s ticket for free. This initiative was facilitated by Angel Studios’ Pay It Forward system, where individuals could contribute to future productions or purchase tickets for moviegoers. Consequently, while tickets are sold, some may go unused, as seen in several viral videos from 2023 showcasing empty theaters during screenings of “Sound of Freedom”.

The high A+ CinemaScore ratings for movies like Jesus Revolution, Sound of Freedom, Unsung Hero, Ordinary Angels, Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot, and The Forge are noteworthy, but they may be somewhat deceptive. This is because faith-based films tend to receive an A+ CinemaScore due to the methodology used by the service, which involves surveying opening night audiences about their reaction to a film. Because these movies are often marketed in a way that influences audience expectations, it’s possible for the CinemaScore to be influenced by this perception. As a result, viewers who identify with the faith-based demographic and are already predisposed to enjoy such films are more likely to rate them highly. However, it doesn’t mean that the audiences who saw these movies didn’t genuinely appreciate the film; rather, they were probably already inclined to like it based on their beliefs or expectations. This is especially true for movies like The King of Kings on opening day, where the audience was likely predisposed to enjoy it due to their religious affiliation.

There’s typically an agreed-upon standard for what qualifies as a successful movie at the box office. While The King of Kings made $19 million, this is considered impressive but still less than Snow White, which earned $43 million. Interestingly, despite this, the remake of Snow White was deemed a failure. This is due to the fact that The King of Kings probably had a lower production cost compared to Snow White, thus it’s anticipated to have a smoother path towards profitability. However, in terms of reaching a wider audience, it appears that more people watched Snow White, even though it was considered a box office bomb. However, The King of Kings may experience a significant increase in box office sales during Easter Weekend, potentially boosting its popularity.

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2025-04-14 00:07