Matt Bush, FISM News
Angel Studios, creator of “The Chosen,” is poised to make history again with the release of “His Only Son” on March 31, followed by an animated feature film “David” that is set for a 2025 release but is already breaking records.
Angel Studios President Jordan Harmon said there is a lot of excitement surrounding the two upcoming releases that are using crowdfunding to compete with the huge budgets that Hollywood movies use.
The film “His Only Son” recounts the story from Genesis of when God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac on Mount Moriah. The movie will make history when it premieres on March 31 as “the first-ever crowdfunded film to have a nationwide theatrical release.” The film raised more than $1.2 million for prints and advertising costs.
DAVID SHATTERS FUNDING RECORDS
The award-winning streaming series, “The Chosen,” raised more than $11 million for its first season to tell the story of the life of Jesus. That $11 million was a crowdfunding record for film production at the time, but not for long.
Angel Studios announced that “David” has raised more than $49 million in investments, shattering the old crowdfunding record. “David” is an animated feature film that “will bring the biblical account of Israel’s warrior champion and king David to the screen.”
“People were like, ‘Well, you can’t get to big budgets you need for it to compete with Hollywood.’ And now David’s proving that wrong,” Harmon said.
CROWDFUNDING FUELS FILM INNOVATION
Angel Studios has used crowdfunding as the major source of its success, a much different source compared to traditional movie funding. Most movies are either funded independently, known as indie films, or through big film studios with billions of dollars and endless connections at their disposal, known as Hollywood films.
The vast majority of movies that people watch in the theater are Hollywood films. These films traditionally have the largest budgets, the most well-known actors, and the most publicity. Independent films are created often, but they do not often find the same commercial success.
Angel Studios has found success by appealing to a mass audience through crowdfunding. Rather than relying on the studio’s ability to find a funding source, Angel Studios relies on its own ideas and the desire of people around the world to see the finished product.
“It’s awesome to see the industry as a whole starting to recognize the power of this,” Harmon said. “The most meaningful part is that we’re creating content, film, and TV series, that the audience wants.”
The stated mission of Angel Studios is “to be the home of stories that amplify light,” and the studio’s Apple app store page states,
Beyond being uplifting and inspiring, but never cheesy, our TV shows, movies, and documentaries are handpicked by the audience. Every production must be approved by the Angel Guild and crowdfunded by the fans. If you don’t like it, we don’t make it. This means that a few executive producers don’t choose what content comes into your home – you do!