The hit multi-season series on the life of Christ, The Chosen, came to movie theaters this weekend with the final two episodes of the third season. While it was a limited release, lasting from February 3 to 6, the results were a massively successful weekend that beat out Avatar: The Way of Water on the opening night. Overall, The Chosen ranked #9 for the weekend.
Considering The Chosen can be viewed for free on streaming services, it is a testament to the love fans have for the show that they came out in droves to see the Season 3 finale on the big screen. On opening night, The Chosen commanded the #1 spot in the box office, pulling in $1.6 million on a Thursday. According to The Numbers, it beat out the top three competitors: Knock at the Cabin ($1.4 million), Avatar: The Way of Water ($1 million), and 80 for Brady ($750,000).
Christian Headlines reports that The Chosen only fell to #4 by Friday night, when Knock at the Cabin, M. Night Shyamalan’s latest horror flick starring David Bautista, began to catch wind on its opening weekend. By Monday, it had solidified its position as #9 for the whole weekend. It should be noted that The Chosen garnered such numbers with only two showings per day, in fewer than 2,000 theaters.
Sharing their success with their fans on social media, Dallas Jenkins said:
“We didn’t spend anything on marketing, we weren’t anticipating big numbers,” director Dallas Jenkins said. “We just wanted to quietly make this available on the big screen to our fans for two days. It’s fun to see them not keep it quiet.”
The showrunner was quick to share the success of the theatrical release on social media:
This is the third time that The Chosen has been released in theaters to great success. In 2021, the show’s Christmas special enjoyed the #1 spot for the first two nights of its release. With the Season 3 finale's much anticipated depiction of the Feeding of the 5,000, it is not surprising that the show could draw in so many theatergoers. The episode, which featured some 12,000 extras, shows off its grandeur much better on the big screen.
Now that Season 3 has ended, fans are left to wait for the upcoming Season 4. While it’s a bit too soon to know exactly when that will be, The Chosen has had quick releases. The first season came in 2019 and then, after a brief delay due to COVID-19, Season 2 released in 2021. With Season 3 ending in early 2023, it’s likely we will not see Season 4 until 2024. The Chosen has planned for seven seasons in total.
