After only two weeks in release, a little Christian film called Jesus Revolution has grossed $30.5 million, which is a better domestic take than five of this year’s Best Picture nominees. In fact, it’s a better domestic haul than four of those Best Picture nominees combined.
And only an idiot is surprised by this news.
What makes this accomplishment even more satisfying is that Jesus Revolution has accomplished this after just two weeks in theaters. Every one of the Best Picture nominees listed below has already completed or is at the end of its theatrical run…
- The Banshees of Inisherin– $5 million
- The Fabelmans– $2 million
- Tár– $7 million
- Triangle of Sadness– $5 million
- Women Talking– $9 million
Combined, those five films only grossed a total of $44 million, which Jesus Revolution will likely top before its theatrical run is over.
But once you remove The Fabelmans’ $17.2 million from that list, the number drops to a total of just $27 million for the FOUR remaining Best Picture nominees, which is below Jesus Revolution’s take after only two weekends of release.
I could get cute and add Netflix’s All Quiet on the Western Front to that list, a movie that made zero at the box office. But it was a streaming-only release, and these numbers are already so damning; why get cute?
So let’s look at some other numbers…
The production budget for Jesus Revolution was a reported $15 million, and other than Kelsey Grammer, I don’t recognize any of the other actors.
The Banshees of Inisherin cost $20 million to produce and stars Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleason, Barry Keough, and Kerry Condon.
Tár likely cost in the $20 million range and stars two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett.
The Fabelmans cost $40 million and is a freaken Steven Spielberg movie.
Triangle of Sadness cost $15.6 million and stars several international actors and Woody Harrelson. Nevertheless, worldwide it flamed out at $24 million.
There’s no budget listed for Women Talking, but it stars Claire Foy, Frances McDormand, and Rooney Mara.
If Hollywood is profit-oriented, why does the industry continue to produce movies no one wants to see?
Listen, I loved Tár and hope everyone sees it, but the numbers are what they are.
And now we know that no one, even when the movie is available on a streaming system they already subscribe to, is watching them at home.
Here’s something else… As an everyday movie consumer and fan, I knew all about these Oscar-nominated movies before they hit theaters. They enjoyed all kinds of free and paid publicity. But I knew nothing about Jesus Revolution until it was in theaters and over-produced at the box office.
There is a market for well-made movies that tell interesting stories about characters everyday Americans can relate to. And guess what? We can relate to Christians! There are about a hundred million of us out here.
But in the same way Hollywood will never try to recreate the success of Greg Gutfeld’s late-night show, Hollywood will never seek to entertain and draw normal American Christians into theaters, at least not anymore.
Will Hollywood recreate the success of Best Picture nominee Top Gun: Maverick, which felt like the last blockbuster we will ever see where men are men, women are women, and both the story and themes are relatable? Nope. Twenty years ago, Hollywood would have copied Top Gun: Maverick’s formula until we grew sick of them. Not anymore.
Hollywood hates normal people more than they love money… And let me tell you… That’s a lot of hate.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC. Follow his Facebook Page here.