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Box Office: The King of Kings set for divine debut, aims to break 27-year-old record in faith-based animation
Angel Studios' The King of Kings shatters records with USD 14.9M in pre-sales, surpassing The Prince of Egypt and challenging major studios with its faith-based animated debut.
In an unexpected box office twist, Angel Studios’ first animated feature, The King of Kings, is making waves across the U.S. theatrical landscape. Released today, April 11, the faith-based offering has already shattered a 27-year-old record even before its opening weekend fully began.
With Thursday previews surpassing those of Disney’s Encanto and giving The Wild Robot a run for its money, The King of Kings amassed an impressive USD 14.9 million in pre-sales, edging past the USD 14.5 million three-day opening weekend of DreamWorks’ The Prince of Egypt (1998)—the previous record holder for a biblical animated feature.
Directed and written by Seong-ho Jang, the film features a star-studded voice cast including Kenneth Branagh, Uma Thurman, Mark Hamill, Pierce Brosnan, Roman Griffin Davis, Forest Whitaker, Ben Kingsley, and Oscar Isaac. The story centers on a young Charles Dickens who narrates the life of Jesus Christ to his fictional son Walter, blending biblical storytelling with whimsical adventure and powerful narration.
Loosely inspired by Dickens’ children’s book The Life of Our Lord, the film weaves together faith, family, and fantastical visuals—offering both emotional depth and family appeal. Early reviews have praised the title’s heartfelt narrative and striking animation, with many calling it a landmark achievement for the aforementioned studio.
The Utah-based distributor, known for faith-based projects like Sound of Freedom, now has a potential animation franchise starter on its hands. What makes The King of Kings even more significant is that it’s competing with and outperforming animated features backed by major Hollywood corporations—a rare feat for an independently produced film with religious themes.
The record-breaking start signals a renewed appetite for Christian belief-based entries. Recently, The Chosen series also did well in theaters. With the weekend still unfolding, we are keeping a close eye on whether The King of Kings can sustain momentum and push toward the USD 50 million mark by Sunday—a number that would further solidify its standing in a competitive market featuring Minecraft: The Movie, The Amateur, Drop, and more.
Regardless of where the final figures land, The King of Kings has already carved out a historic place in animation history, proving that faith-driven stories could also become profitable animation IPs—just like video game ventures.
ALSO READ: Box Office: Top 5 highest grossing Animated Movies Globally of all time; from Ne Zha 2 to Frozen
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