Kingdom Story Company Renews Three-Year First-Look Deal With Lionsgate

Matt Grobar
·3-min read

Fresh off success with their holiday family comedy The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Lionsgate and the faith-based Kingdom Story Company have agreed to renew their three-year first-look deal, extending the studios’ total collaboration to 10 years.

The deal puts a capstone on Kingdom Story Company’s biggest slate yet, which comprised three films with Lionsgate in 2024: Ordinary Angels, starring Hilary Swank and Alan Ritchson; Unsung Hero, from Grammy-winning faith-based artist Joel Smallbone; and the aforementioned Best Christmas Pageant Ever, which exceeded tracking by opening with $11.1 million at the domestic box office this past weekend ($12.2 M/4-day) and is positioned to continue playing through the holiday period.

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Dallas Jenkins (of The Chosen fame) directed the latter film, starring Judy Greer and Pete Holmes, which adapts the children’s book by Barbara Robinson. Each of the Kingdom-developed and produced films released this year is expected to turn a profit for the studio.

Stated Kevin Downes, co-founder and chief executive officer of Kingdom Story Company, “2024 has been Kingdom Story Company’s biggest year ever with a slate of three films. I couldn’t be more proud of the incredible team of people who made it possible — from the filmmakers and cast to our executive team, marketing team, and especially our partners at Lionsgate, who have always championed our films and the audience they serve. Our goal is to share stories that ignite a rush of hope, and we are proud that each of our films this year has not only entertained but also sparked conversations about faith and resilience when needed more than ever.”

Andrew Erwin, co-founder and chief creative officer of Kingdom Story Company, observed, “The power of redemptive storytelling continues to find its voice. At Kingdom Story Company, we are honored to be a part of expanding the quality of films for the faith audience that we love. Seeing that growth extend into the mainstream is a dream come true.”

Added Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Chair Adam Fogelson, “Over the past decade, Kingdom films have established a unique ability to connect with their audiences in the faith community and beyond through high quality storytelling and exceptional productions, like their holiday hit The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. We’re proud to continue to collaborate with Kevin, Andy, Brandon and the entire team and thrilled that we are their creative home.”

Kingdom Story Company also announced today that Brandon Gregory, their President and COO of more than five years, has been promoted to Partner.

On the appointment, chairman/partner Tony Young said, “Brandon brings a unique combination of skills: a rigorous business sense that keeps the company on track, a deep love of movies that makes entertainment the only business for him, and a fierce commitment to the mission behind the movies we make at this company. Perhaps the only thing as important as what we do is who we work with, and this promotion ensures that we’ll be working with Brandon for many years to come.”

Founded in 2019 by brothers Jon and Andrew Erwin, Kevin Downes, and Tony Young, Kingdom Story Company came together following the success of the Erwins’ I Can Only Imagine, which Lionsgate released to a worldwide gross of over $86 million. The company’s film portfolio also includes titles like I Still Believe (about the Christian singer Jeremy Camp), American Underdog (the story of NFL star Kurt Warner), and Jesus Revolution, among others. On Kingdom’s slate for next year are a pair of dramas starring Zachary Levi: The Unbreakable Boy (Lionsgate) and Sarah’s Oil (Amazon MGM Studios)

In addition to The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Lionsgate is coming off the release of Cillian Murphy’s Small Things Like These, which hit theaters on November 8. The studio’s next big film coming up for release is Gerard Butler’s Den of Thieves 2: Pantera on January 10.

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