Like icthus images in its opening credits, The Chosen seemed destined to swim against prevailing currents. [1-3]
It’s certainly not without precedent to see television series beget theatrical movie releases. And only time will tell if, as “the largest ever crowdfunded entertainment project” it truly portends “groundbreaking implications for content creators, particularly faith-based ones.” [4]
As “the first-ever multi-season series about the life of Christ,” it will forever raise the bar on what it means to have a personal relationship with the living Lord and Savior for all mankind. [5]
For a deeper understanding of exactly what that means, Saline Journal returned once again to The Reverend Frank Radcliff, Senior Pastor of Oakwood Church. [6,7]
“The Chosen,” he began, characteristically earnest.
Yeah— I got it. It fell really short in some areas of historical accuracy. There are so many little things that are off.
But explain something to me: Why has there never been anything like this before?
Why has it drawn so many followers? Why are there so many atheists, agnostics, and dropped out of church folks that are being affected by it?
Allowing just enough time to let the impact of his questions set in, Pastor Radcliff shared his own thoughts. “Intense honesty,” he began. “Simplicity. And it is so real that it touches the heart.
What would it have been like to get to see the things that we only read about? How would you react? How would you respond?
With the reach of its first season multiplied by serendipitous discovery consequent to government mandated COVID-19 lock-downs in 2020, production on Season 2 raised its bar against this with filming of its Sermon on the Mount reinactment. In-home viewing seemed perfectly channeled as medium, and momentum was (and is) continuing to build. [8]
Elsewhere, a major motion picture projected to lose $100 million over the course of its theatrical run was noted late last month as “the year’s highest-grossing Hollywood film” and cast as “the top performing film at the box office since COVID-19 appeared on the scene and nearly shut down the movie business.” [9]
This is the crucible into which The Chosen has elected next to be deposited. Stretching the core of its series time frame, Christmas with The Chosen: The Messengers focuses both on the blessed season at hand, and an early period for the nascent Christian Church post-crucifixion. [10-12]
Distributed through Fathom Events, =Christmas with The Chosen” broke company sales records “with $1.5 million in sales in the first 12 hours,” according to CEO Ray Nutt. He went on to note that the film had originally been “slated to premier in 1079 theaters,” but that an additional “450+ locations and thousands of screens” were commissioned “to satisfy demand,” which he antipated would continue to grow. [13,14]
Our own Emagine Entertainment is an important part of that network. “Our content partners offer a wonderful variety of faith based films …,” Co-Founder and Chairman Paul Glantz told Saline Journal on opening day for this motion picture. [15]
“We take great pride in showing a wide variety of film offerings for our guests to enjoy on our large screens. We view these diverse film offerings as our commitment to delivering the magic of movies and more at Emagine.”
Seating for first showings at Emagine Theatres throughout southeast Michigan were mostly sold-out well-in-advance. In addition to a public schedule that runs here through December 9, Christmas with The Chosen: The Messengers will be made available from the production company for rental to churches interested in projecting it for their congregations.
Appropriate as it surely will be to discuss the commercial aspects of this endeavor, there are much larger, clearly more eternal considerations that can only be understood through faith.
“I may not get to see, with my own eyes, the One called Jesus,” offered Pastor Frank Radcliff in accessing this for Saline Journal. “But I have seen Him change lives.
I have seen Him do things that I can’t explain. I have watched Him move in ways that have left me speechless.
The Chosen is the testimony of a Savior that came into the world. A real all-man and all-God. And now the next step, Christmas With The Chosen: The Messengers.
He then closed by repeating the final words of Mary in the movie trailer: “People must know.”
References
- “The Chosen” Angel Studios.
- “The Chosen” Angel Funding.
- “The Chosen” Channel, YouTube.
- “How A Crowdfunded Christian TV Series Could Change The Entertainment Industry” Emily Jashinsky (February 17, 2020) The Federalist.
- “‘The Chosen’ is the Largest Crowd-Funded Media Project in History | EWTN News Nightly” EWTN (August 11, 2021) YouTube.
- “Frank Radcliff (2020.01.28)– on the essentials of following Jesus Christ, and what ‘Christianity’ means as a call to action” Frank Radcliff (January 28, 2020) Saline Journal.
- Oakwood Church (home page).
- “Crowdfunded TV Series ‘The Chosen’ to Film Scene with 2,000 Extras Amid Pandemic” Bryn Sandberg (February 10, 2021) The Hollywood Reporter.
- “Covid-Era Conundrum: ‘No Time to Die’ May Be the Year’s Highest-Grossing Hollywood Movie, But It Could Still Lose Millions” Rebecca Rubin (November 22, 2021) Variety.
- “‘I didn’t want to do Christian movies’ says Dallas Jenkins, creator of record-breaking Jesus series ‘The Chosen’” Kylie Beach (August 24, 2021) Eternity News.
- “Christmas With The Chosen: The Messengers – Official Trailer” The Chosen (October 27, 2021) YouTube.
- “‘The Chosen’ streaming faith series brings authentic Jesus into theaters with Christmas special” Bryan Alexander (December 1, 2021) USA Today.
- “‘The Chosen’ Christmas Movie Breaks More Records for the Series Even Before Its Release” Donna Russell (October 30, 2021) CBN News.
- “Christmas with The Chosen” (December 2021) Fathom Events.
- Emagine Entertainment (home page). https://www.emagine-entertainment.com
