JESUS REVOLUTION Outearns COCAINE BEAR in Early Previews
By Movieguide® Contributor
Faith-based movie JESUS REVOLUTION has outearned COCAINE BEAR in early previews, making $3.3 million at the box office so far.
Deadline reports that JESUS REVOLUTION earned $2 million on Wednesday and $940,000 on Thursday, for a total of $3.3 million.
Part of Movieguide®’s review for JESUS REVOLUTION reads:
JESUS REVOLUTION is incredibly well made and captivating. It has many scenes with jeopardy and inspiring, well-written presentations of Jesus Christ’s Gospel. MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution because the movie accurately depicts the drug scene from an impartial viewpoint that might attract younger children. The movie also shows Greg Laurie’s mother’s constant drunkenness and philandering. The immoral behavior is part of the true stories in JESUS REVOLUTION, which, to an amazing degree, have been made into an exciting, cohesive, uplifting movie.
JESUS REVOLUTION producer Andy Erwin praised the movie’s evangelistic qualities, saying, “This is an awesome, entertaining, very funny, very disarming and even rebellious, kind of take on a story that will surprise people within the church and from outside the church. It’s a great conversation starter.”
COCAINE BEAR, an R-rated movie based on the true story of a bear who ingests illegal drugs, made $2 million on Thursday. Movieguide® has yet to review this movie and cannot comment on its content.
Both movies open this weekend, with JESUS REVOLUTION playing in 2,475 theaters and COCAINE BEAR in 3,000 nationwide.
Movieguide® previously reported on JESUS REVOLUTION:
Early screenings of JESUS REVOLUTION have touched Christian and non-Christian audiences alike.
“There’s people from all walks of life in our crew…[and] all different belief systems, and it’s just really amazing to see people weep and cry and be moved as they would see footage—because the [the footage] felt very special,” co-director Brent McCorkle said.
“It felt guided,” he added. “It felt bigger than a bunch of humans running around with cameras. It feels important. Even people at Lionsgate were moved to tears. They’re not all Christians, but they’re moved by the story.”
JESUS REVOLUTION tells the true story of the hippie-led “Jesus Movement” revival of the 1960s and 1970s.
The movie highlights pastor Chuck Smith, who opened his church to hippies, and also features the work of hippie evangelist Lonnie Frisbee and future pastor Greg Laurie.
“[Smith’s] choice to include these people [hippies] that were so hated at the time and not only include them but invite them into his little square church was…a sea change,” McCorkle added. “It was very powerful.”
“We live in a world today where we feel more comfortable sanitizing everything,” he told Christian Headlines. “But if you really take a hardcore look at the people in the Bible—they were flawed, very messy, broken people.”
“Our movie dives into this idea that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be flawed and still participate in something very powerful and very spiritual,” McCorkle concluded.
THE JESUS REVOLUTION is set to release in theaters on February 24.
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