Lionsgate and the Erwin brothers’ faith-based Kingdom Story Company — which successfully released The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at the box office last weekend — announced Tuesday they are renewing their first-look deal for another three years. That will put them in business together for a full decade.
The pact was announced by Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson and Kingdom Story Company CEO Kevin Downes, who co-founded the company in 2019 alongside Jon and Andrew Erwin.
In a twinned move, Downes revealed that the company has promoted Kingdom Story president and COO Brandon Gregory to partner.
“Over the past decade, Kingdom films have established a unique ability to connect with their audiences in the faith community and beyond through high quality storytelling and exceptional productions, like their holiday hit The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” Fogelson said in a statement.
Added Downes, “2024 has been Kingdom Story Company’s biggest year ever with a slate of three films. I couldn’t be more proud of the incredible team of people who made it possible — from the filmmakers and cast to our executive team, marketing team, and especially our partners at Lionsgate, who have always championed our films and the audience they serve. Our goal is to share stories that ignite a rush of hope, and we are proud that each of our films this year has not only entertained but also sparked conversations about faith and resilience when needed more than ever.”
The trio of 2024 films are Ordinary Angels, starring Hilary Swank and Alan Ritchson; Unsung Hero, the autobiographical film from five-time Grammy Award-winning artist Joel Smallbone, whose band For King + Country is one of the most decorated bands for faith-based audiences; and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, directed by The Chosen filmmaker Dallas Jenkins. An adaptation of the beloved classic children’s book of the same name, the inspirational pic opened to a better-than-expected $11.1 million at the domestic box office over the Nov. 8-10 weekend to finish Monday (Veteran’s Day) with $12.2 million in ticket sales.
The family friendly, PG-rated Christmas Pageant played best in the south and middle of the country, where it hopes to remain a stronghold throughout the year-end holidays, although it will face keen competition from a slew of tentpoles waiting to unfurl over Thanksgiving — Wicked and Moana 2 in particular. And this weekend, it goes up against another holiday-themed pic, Amazon and MGM’s Santa Claus action-adventure Red One starring Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evens, although that movie is rated PG-13.
“The power of redemptive storytelling continues to find its voice. At Kingdom Story Company, we are honored to be a part of expanding the quality of films for the faith audience that we love. Seeing that growth extend into the mainstream is a dream come true,” said Andrew Erwin, co-founder and chief creative officer of Kingdom Story.
English (US) ·