Hollywood’s Faith-Based Revival Expands Beyond Niche Audiences

Hollywood is witnessing a revival of faith-based entertainment, with major studios and streaming platforms backing projects that reflect confessional viewpoints or explore religious themes in broader dramatic terms. From fall releases featuring a conflicted priest and a wingless angel to Academy-attentive biblical dramas, Hollywood has found a renewed appetite for stories rooted in faith, often targeting mainstream audiences as much as core Christian viewership.

The mix includes animated biblical fare such as Angel’s forthcoming David, which has already surpassed $14 million in pre-sale tickets ahead of its Friday release, as well as docudramas like Martin Scorsese’s The Saints. Fox Nation’s new seasonal run of The Saints has helped elevate the profile of faith-based programming on traditional and streaming channels. Industry executives say the moment signals more than a trend driven by nostalgia; it reflects a broader shift toward values-based storytelling that aims to reach diverse audiences while respecting religious perspectives.

Traci Blackwell, head of targeted content for Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, framed the expansion as a “revival, a revolution of sorts, of spirituality and faith content” at a Beverly Hills Variety event centered on faith and spirituality in entertainment. Amazon has premiered its biblical drama House of David and gained exclusive U.S. streaming rights to The Chosen, the popular Jesus-themed series that began as a crowd-funded, independent project before gaining larger distribution. Historically, faith-based titles have had uneven box-office performance, but contemporary projects increasingly leverage streaming and theatrical windows to reach larger audiences. The enduring example remains The Passion of the Christ, a 2004 film whose box-office success remains a touchstone for faith-based commerce, though such titles have been relatively rare in the century since.

"Hollywood has taken a lot of criticism by those in the faith community for not providing films that speak to them, that reflect their values," said Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s senior media analyst, underscoring both audience demand and the financial potential of faith-based programming. Studios are now viewing faith-centered content as a viable investment, in part due to The Chosen’s performance and the long-tail benefits of a popular series that has expanded into theatrical distribution with The Chosen’s revenue fueling broader distribution strategies. Neal Harmon, co-founder and CEO of Angel Studios, recalled that early resistance to faith-driven storytelling was intense, saying, "People have this idea that faith means cheesy or preachy. And we had to break through that barrier." Since Fathom Entertainment began distributing The Chosen theatrically in 2023, the series has grossed more than $116 million domestically.

The industry’s current slate extends beyond a single channel or format. Angel aims to distribute and market values-based entertainment that includes but is not limited to faith stories, while Lionsgate is preparing I Can Only Imagine 2 for a February theatrical release. The original 2018 film was among the more financially successful Christian titles in U.S. history. Co-director Andrew Erwin said a key shift occurred roughly five years ago, when studios began giving faith-focused projects a fairer shake and filmmakers improved in storytelling and craft. He added that the quality of material has risen as a result of greater investment in the filmmaking process.

In addition to sequels, Lionsgate is slated to distribute the first of Gibson’s two-part continuation of The Passion of the Christ in 2027, signaling continued appetite for high-profile faith-driven epics. Other projects in development include Zero A.D., a biblical epic exploring the Massacre of the Innocents recounted in the Gospel of Matthew, scheduled for 2026. This mix of animated features, docudramas, and prestige dramas illustrates how faith-based programming now spans genres and formats, challenging traditional boundaries between secular and devotional storytelling.

Yet defining what counts as faith-based can be elusive. Some projects are overtly religious in their framing, while others incorporate spiritual questions within broader historical or philosophical narratives. The Chosen itself has drawn attention for presenting a character-based portrayal of Jesus that many viewers interpret as religious, even if the creators describe it as a historical drama rather than a doctrinal film. Jonathan Roumie, who portrays Jesus on The Chosen, told The Associated Press that the series is not meant to be categorized strictly as Christian cinema but rather a historically grounded drama. "If you’re buying in on going to the movie theater for a faith-based movie, you know you’re gonna have people around you who are really into the experience," he said, acknowledging how audience expectations shape reception and marketing.

Industry observers note that labeling a project as faith-based can be a double-edged sword. Dergarabedian described a common reaction: the moment a film is marketed as faith-oriented, it may be perceived as narrow or “boxed in,” potentially limiting broader appeal. Still, the market appears to be evolving toward projects that tell spiritual or moral stories with cinematic polish and universal themes such as redemption, forgiveness, and resilience. Phil Wickham, a Grammy-nominated Christian musician who voices David in the upcoming Angel film, welcomed the broader acceptance in Hollywood, saying it allows for storytelling that is both serious and aesthetically ambitious. He recalled growing up with media that felt preachy and noted that contemporary faith-based productions are offering more complex narratives and higher production value.

The question remains whether this revival represents a lasting shift in Hollywood or a period of amplified investment that will normalize faith-centered content across the industry. Some executives argue that the market will always respond to strong storytelling and clear audience demand, even if interest wanes for particular formats or franchises. Jason Klarman, Fox News Media’s chief digital and marketing officer, highlighted the commercial logic behind continuing faith-based content on Fox Nation, noting that even if trends change, producers intend to keep pursuing the genre because it resonates with a built-in audience.

As studios map the future of faith-based programming, they confront a dual challenge: meeting the expectations of devout audiences while engaging general audiences with ambitious, high-production-value storytelling. The coming years will test whether the current crop of films and series can sustain momentum beyond the novelty of a revived category, or whether the market will settle into a steady, long-term slate of values-driven entertainment that informs and entertains without preaching. In the meantime, venues like The Chosen and House of David offer models for hybrid strategies—combining streaming access, theatrical distribution, and serialized storytelling—that could shape industry practice for years to come.