The faith-based movie Unsung Hero exceeded expectations in its first weekend, finishing No. 2 at the box office and nabbing a rare A+ CinemaScore grade from moviegoers. The film follows the true story of an Australian father who moves his wife and six children to the U.S. in search of a brighter future but is forced to scramble when he cannot find a job. The movie is based on the story of David and Helen Smallbone, the parents of future Christian artists Rebecca St. James and Joel and Luke Smallbone of For King and Country. St. James and For King and Country each won Grammy Awards.
Unsung Hero grossed an estimated $7.75 million during its opening weekend, securing the No. 2 spot in box office rankings. It also finished second in per-theater average ($2,736). Meanwhile, it earned an A+ grade from CinemaScore, a company that asks moviegoers on opening weekend to rate movies they’ve seen. By comparison, first-weekend movies Challengers and Boy Kills World scored a B+ and B-, respectively. In fact, among the nearly 20 recent films listed on CinemaScore’s website, only one other film — the faith-based movie Ordinary Angels — received an A+ grade. Both Unsung Hero and Ordinary Angels were made by Kingdom Story Company.
Congratulations to co-directors Joel Smallbone and Richard Ramsey on this A+ CinemaScore. We are thrilled to see audiences everywhere connect with this story. Thank you 🙏🏻 to everyone who has come out to support @UnsungHeroMovie! Have you seen it yet? Don’t wait! Join us this… pic.twitter.com/SMB6f1XsPF
— Kingdom Story Company (@KingdomStoryCo) April 27, 2024
Unsung Hero “landed ahead of expectations,” The Hollywood Reporter said, noting that “tracking had suggested $5 million to $6 million” for opening weekend. It got a “fresh” rating from the film review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where 60% of critics liked it. Its Rotten Tomatoes audience score was even better: 100%.
In the film, David Smallbone is a successful Christian music promoter who moves to the U.S. for a job but quickly learns it didn’t materialize. The family performs odd jobs to make ends meet. The film depicts David and Helen debating whether to move back to Australia.
“We really felt that God had called us to the U.S., we felt that He was leading us here,” St. James told Crosswalk Headlines. “... There were a lot of anxious moments around that time. But we saw God show up for us at every turn and meet us in our time of need.”
The film, she added, is “so true to our actual story.”
“We did see Him show up so much. It gave me a testimony,” she said. “It gave me something to sing about.”
Photo Credit: ©Unsung Heroes PR used with permission
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.