Highest Grossing Christian Films
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- by Owl Staff
- Posted on Dec 7th, 2009
- Filed under: Arts & Entertainment / Entertainment / Movies / Movie Genres / Religious Films
Movies with Christian themes, whether based on the Bible or not, have been consistently successful at the box office since the early days of cinema. Sidney Olcott's 1912 silent feature From the Manger to the Cross, for example, netted a profit of $1 million on a $35,000 budget, according to Turner Classic Movies. Today, a movie like Fireproof can become the highest-grossing independent release of its year without being publicized through mainstream channels like television commercials and billboard ads.
However, not all Christian films profit, as can be seen with The Greatest Story Ever Told, a massive failure from 1965 that put an end to large-scale Bible epics for many years. In the last decade, many successful Christian films have been small, independent productions targeted directly to religious groups via grassroots marketing. Below is a list of the ten top grossing Christian films of all time, including both epic and indie examples.
1. The Passion of the Christ (2003) - $370,782,930
Mel Gibson's bloody depiction of Jesus' final hours was a pop culture phenomenon, but the film was primarily a hit because of the way it reached out to church groups, bringing in many Christians who typically avoided the multiplex. Thanks to endorsements from religious leaders throughout the country, The Passion of the Christ became one of the highest-grossing films of 2003, and it still holds the record for highest-grossing non-English language film of all time.
However, not all Christian films profit, as can be seen with The Greatest Story Ever Told, a massive failure from 1965 that put an end to large-scale Bible epics for many years. In the last decade, many successful Christian films have been small, independent productions targeted directly to religious groups via grassroots marketing. Below is a list of the ten top grossing Christian films of all time, including both epic and indie examples.
1. The Passion of the Christ (2003) - $370,782,930
Mel Gibson's bloody depiction of Jesus' final hours was a pop culture phenomenon, but the film was primarily a hit because of the way it reached out to church groups, bringing in many Christians who typically avoided the multiplex. Thanks to endorsements from religious leaders throughout the country, The Passion of the Christ became one of the highest-grossing films of 2003, and it still holds the record for highest-grossing non-English language film of all time.
