Jesus Revolution Sparks 2nd Jesus People Movement
Jesus Revolution, the movie and box office sensation, has just surpassed $40MM in gross revenue on a $15MM budget and is sending a message to Hollywood. Jesus Revolution has become Lionsgate studio’s top-grossing film since 2019; in 2021, the studio’s top-grossing film was The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, with gross sales of $38 million. And last year’s top film was The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, grossing $20 million.
The movie chronicles the Jesus People movement that took off from Costa Mesa, CA, at Chuck Smith’s church and spread across the country. Time Magazine dubbed it the Jesus Revolution in their 1970 article, documenting the salvation of thousands of hippies and churches like Chuck Smith’s Calvary Chapel opening its doors to welcome young people. Pastor and Evangelist Greg Laurie is portrayed as a young man coming to faith and receiving a call from God to carry the torch in the movement, along with his wife, Cathe.
Director Jon Erwin also became the first director in history to win four A+ CinemaScore, a perfect score on four movies, something not even Steven Spielberg has reached. Other movies in which Erwin received a A+ CinemaScore include Woodlawn in 2015, I Can Only Imagine in 2018, and American Underdog in 2021. His brother, Andrew Erwin, co-directed all three previous films. While Brent McCorkle co-directed the Jesus Revolution.
