Disclaimer. Half these movies aren’t ‘Christian’ at all and some such as The Shack and Heaven is for Real are openly heretical. Not only this, but the number #1 film is (spoilers) rife with bizarre Roman Catholic iconography and theology. Crosswalk is undiscerning for not pointing all this out. Still, the list is interesting.
(Crosswalk) Christian movies are a regular entry in today’s theaters, yet 25 years ago, they were essentially non-existent.
But then Mel Gibson’s The Passion of The Christ (2004) shocked Hollywood with its popularity, claiming the No. 1 spot at the box office for three weekends. The dynamic changed again when Alex and Stephen Kendrick’s Facing the Giants (2006) and Fireproof (2008) demonstrated that Christian movies don’t need a multi-million-dollar budget to succeed.
The popularity of those three films inspired countless young Christian filmmakers to hone their talent in the industry.
The list of highest-grossing Christian movies (see below) comes with a few caveats. It does not include 1998’s The Prince of Egypt, which is generally considered a “studio” movie rather than a Christian film (even though I’m a big fan of it). It also does not include movies from yesterday, such as 1956’s The Ten Commandments or 1959’s Ben-Hur, which would rank Nos. 1 and 2 when adjusted for inflation. Finally, the list uses domestic gross, not worldwide gross. (Thus, Breakthrough, which ranks in the Top 10 in worldwide gross, gets bumped out of the domestic list.)
Here are the 10 highest-grossing Christian movies of all time:
10. The Star ($40,852,824)
The story of Jesus’ birth is told through the eyes of the animals who walked alongside Mary and Joseph. This 2017 animated film starred top-shelf talent such as Zachary Levi, Tyler Perry, Keegan-Michael Key, Patricia Heaton, Christopher Plummer and Gina Rodriguez. It was nominated for a Golden Globe (Best Original Song), a Movie Guide Award and a GMA Dove Award. Rated PG for some thematic elements.
9. Soul Surfer ($43,853,424)
A 13-year-old surfer overcomes the loss of her left arm during a shark attack to compete once again. It’s the true story of Bethany Hamilton, who relied on her faith and the support of family and friends to learn to surf with one arm. It starred Anna Sophia Robb, Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt and Carrie Underwood. It was nominated for a Teen Choice Award, a People’s Choice Award and an ESPY. It won a Movie Guide Award for Best Movie for Families. Rated PG for an intense accident sequence and some thematic material.
8. The Shack ($57,386,418)
Mack, a father who is grieving the murder of his 7-year-old daughter, finds healing after receiving a letter from “Papa,” who invites him to a meeting in the forest. Mack meets Papa and then meets two others – Jesus and Sarayu. The movie was based on the bestselling novel of the same name by… to continue readng, click here.
Editor’s Note. This article was written by Michael Foust and posted at Crosswalk.
