A faith-based Christmas film directed by filmmaker Dallas Jenkins became a box office hit over the weekend, debuting at No. 3 nationwide and garnering praise from fans and critics alike.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (PG) surpassed expectations by grossing $10.8 million as it received an A CinemaScore grade from moviegoers and a 98 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Deadline labeled its success an “eyebrow raiser.”
Jenkins, who is best known as the creator and director of The Chosen, thanked fans for supporting the film.
"What an opening weekend for Best Christmas Pageant Ever," he wrote on Facebook. "My heart is full. Thank you for the wonderful comments I'm seeing all over social media. After almost 20 years of chasing this movie, it's surreal to see the box office results, positive critic reviews (NY Times???), and viewer impact. Let's keep it going so we have a chance of adding a film about the Jesus story to the Christmas classic list. Thank you, my friend."
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever achieved an 89 percent Rotten Tomatoes grade from mainstream critics, a rare high score from critics for any movie, much less one that is faith-based.
Pete Hammond of Deadline Hollywood Daily wrote that it "grabs your heart and makes you smile." Glenn Kenny of The New York Times said the film "manages to provide moments of witty dialogue while moving forward with its spiritual duties." Adam Graham of The Detroit News wrote that the movie's set and costumes make it "feel timeless, and it comes with a sense of nostalgia already baked into it." The film "just be around for a while, and in some ways, it already feels like a Christmastime favorite," Graham added.
"If all Christian-themed movies were as kind, as caring and as joyful — in short, as Christian — as 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,' the world would be a much nicer place," Sean P. Means of The Movie Cricket wrote.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is based on a children's book of the same name and tells the story of six unruly siblings, the Herdmans, who unexpectedly win roles in a small-town church's Christmas play.
Related: 3 Reasons 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever' Is a New Holiday Classic
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.