The Korean manufacturing animation film The king of the kings He is making news in North America, debuting at number 2 in the box office ranking on his opening day and triggering a commercial frenzy.
According to the box office monitoring sites on April 12, the film collected $ 7.01 million on its first day through 3,200 theaters in North America. The opening weekend is expected that it will reach $ 18 million, with many who predict that it could swear the record of the North American box office of Parasite.
The film came behind The Minecraft movie And he overlapped the main Hollywood titles such as Amateur AND The dropmarking a rare company for a Korean animated function. The interest in Christian themed content should climb before Easter (April 20), further fueling the slim at the box office, especially among the family public.
The king of the kings It is a 3D animated theatrical feature produced by the Mofac Studio of Korea. Direct, written and produced by Chang Sung-Ho, with Kim Woo-Hyung’s cinematography, the film is adapted by The life of Our Lord By the British author Charles Dickens, originally written for his children. The story covers the life of Jesus Christ from birth to crucifixion and resurrection, presented through John’s eyes, the young son of the disciple Peter. John follows his Father and testifies to the teachings and miracles of Jesus.
The emotional climax of the film is built around the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, transmitting a message of hope. The animation includes vivid recreations of key biblical scenes: his baptism of Giovanni Battista, the gathering of the 12 disciples, the healing of the sick and walking on the water.
The addition of a further impact is the cast of Hollywood Voice:
- Oscar Isaac as Jesus
- Pierce Brosnan as King Herod
- Kenneth Branagh in the role of Peter
- Uma Thurman as Mary
- Mark Hamill like Judah
The critics praised the hot but imposing voice of Oscar Isaac, capturing both the human and divine sides of Jesus. The 3D graphics impressed the public with detailed renderings of Jerusalem of the 9th century, the sea of ​​Galilee and the temple, all supported by historical research and field studies in Israel.
The American distributor of the film, Angel Studios, is accredited for his success. Known for its success of 2023 Sound of freedom (which collected $ 184 million with a budget of $ 5.7 million), Angel showed the strong market potential of the content -oriented to faith and the family. Many believe The king of the kings It could also exceed that record.
Until now, the most successful Korean film in North America has been Bong Joon-Ho Parasitewhich collected $ 54 million. However, he opened with only $ 380,000 in his first weekend and gradually expanded –The king of the kings He has already far exceeded that rhythm.
Angel Studios has implemented aggressive marketing strategies, including a “Kids Go Free” campaign in which every adult ticket arrived with a free children’s ticket. They also collaborated with churches for group ticket packages, in particular for the Easter celebration.
The public’s response was extraordinarily positive. The film received an A+ cinema the highest possible evaluation that pushes a strong word of mouth. The spectators called it “the perfect family film in motion and significant”. Many praised the animation to soften the intense scenes, making the film accessible for all ages. On X (previously Twitter), the spectators published, “I’ve never seen the life of Jesus portrayed so magnificently”, AND “We laughed and shouted together like a family.”
Mofac Studio, the production company behind the film, is a leader in the CG and VFX industry in Korea. The CEO Chang Sung-Ho has over 20 years of experience and has contributed to successful films and dramas such as Tide wave, The admiral: roaring currents, LegendAND My love from the star. Mofac also worked on the US series Spartacus. The king of the kings It marks the first animation of functionality length produced independently, showing the global animation potential of Korea.
The success of the film is already spreading beyond North America. It is confirmed for the release in the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, with distribution agreements under discussion in Latin America and Europe. With a production budget of $ 25 million, The king of the kings He has already recovered more than half of his costs during his debut weekend and should continue his strong performance until May.
