What Is “The King of Kings”? All About the Record-Breaking Animated Film That Surprised at the Box Office

Oscar Isaac is making waves as Jesus alongside a star-studded voice cast in The King of Kings.

Following its release in theaters on April 11, the movie earned $19 million in its first weekend at the domestic box office, beating the record set by The Prince of Egypt for an animated faith-based movie, which debuted to $14.5 million in 1998, according to Variety.

Angel Studios, the company that also released 2023's surprise box office success Sound of Freedom, a controversial crime-thriller about human trafficking that starred Jim Caviezel, distributed The King of Kings. Its president Jordan Harmon described the movie to Variety as "really The Passion [of the Christ] for kids."

Here's everything to know about The King of Kings.

What is The King of Kings about?

The King of Kings presents audiences with a story of famed 19th-century British author Charles Dickens telling his own son Walter, who is obsessed with kings, about Jesus Christ's life, following him from birth until his crucifixion and return on Easter Sunday. According to Variety, the film is loosely based on Dickens' posthumous 1934 novel The Life of Our Lord, which he originally wrote in 1849 for his own children to read and did not intend to publish during his lifetime.

"A father tells his son the greatest story ever told, and what begins as a bedtime tale becomes a life-changing journey. Through vivid imagination, the boy walks alongside Jesus, witnessing His miracles, facing His trials, and understanding His ultimate sacrifice," reads an official synopsis for the movie. "The King of Kings invites us to rediscover the enduring power of hope, love, and redemption through the eyes of a child."

Who is in the voice cast of The King of Kings?

Isaac, 46, voices Jesus Chris throughout the movie, and he is joined by an A-list cast of actors that includes Pierce Brosnan as Pontius Pilate, Mark Hamill as King Herod, Ben Kingsley as High Priest Caiaphas, Forest Whitaker as Peter, Kenneth Branagh as Charles Dickens, and Uma Thurman as Catherine Dickens. Roman Griffin Davis voices Walter Dickens.

The King of Kings is directed by Seong-Ho Jang, who makes his directorial debut with the movie. The filmmaker is credited with working as a visual effects supervisor on dozens of South Korean movies over the last 25 years before turning to directing.

What have The King of King's filmmakers said about the movie?

Star Wars icon Hamil, who voices King Herod in the movie, told Variety that he views The King of Kings as "a revelation" for young audiences as it released in theaters ahead of Easter Sunday on April 20. 

“Children are going to find this enormously appealing, even if they aren’t drawn towards religious stories," he told the outlet. "This one has everything a great adventure should have, and yet it teaches such positive values: the idea of faith and selflessness and doing what’s right for the good of everyone, and not just yourself."

Like with many Angel Studios movies, the studio allows for people to pay for others' tickets to enable other audience members to see the movie for free. As of Monday, April 14, Angel Studios' website read that it had earned 83% of its goal to sell 2 million tickets for the movie.

Angel Studios president and co-founder Harmon told Variety that he saw "multiple kids walk out with tears on their face" at an early screening for the film. "They’re having this massively fundamental, moving moment inside of the cinema and its communal experience, and they’re feeling so much power and emotion that they’re getting this beautiful relationship developed even more towards a love towards Christ," Harmon said. "I truly believe this film has the potential to bless millions of kids’ lives where this becomes, for lack of a better term, a core memory.”

The King of Kings is in theaters now.

Read the original article on People