Angel Studios, the Utah-based production company, is reaching new heights.
Jordan Harmon, co-founder and president of Angel Studios, credits the studio’s recent release, “Cabrini,” with taking the company to a “new level.” The faith-based film has earned a positive response from critics and raked in more than $8 million in its opening weekend, per Box Office Mojo.
“We didn’t realize that while we were building Angel Studios for the last 10 years that simultaneously Leo (Severino) and Alejandro (Monteverde) were building this incredible story that literally encompasses everything Angel has ever wanted to do,” Harmon told the Deseret News.
“This takes Angel to an entirely new level as a studio. Because it’s not just an incredibly impactful story, it is a cinematic masterpiece in terms of what is has done and how they told the story.”
The film follows Francesca Cabrini, an American immigrant and the first American saint as she overcomes crippling illness, racism and an overwhelming sense of doubt from her male peers to build orphanages, hospitals and schools across the globe — something she describes as an “Empire of Hope.”
While “Cabrini” already sits among top box-office earners this month, the film has also reached a “zeitgeist” that’s a rare feat in the industry — both critics and audiences are enjoying it, “Cabrini” producer Leo Severino explained to Deseret News.
“Normally there’s a vast disconnect between what critics like and what the audiences like,” said Severino. “This film has hit a certain zeitgeist where the audiences are responding at almost 100% and the critics are responding at almost 100%. So it seems like we have something really special here.”
“Cabrini” currently boasts a 98% audience score and a 91% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. In terms of critic scores, it’s outperforming Angel Studios’ “Sound of Freedom,” which earned a 57% from critics, as well as “After Death,” which critics gave a 47%.
“Angel Studios hasn’t been known for getting great reviews from critics and this particular film is scoring 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, which just blew us away,” Harmon told Deseret News. “The excitement from the audience and the critics is through the roof, which we believe is gonna cause a really strong word of mouth and a really strong round of theatrical.”
The current content from Angel, including “Cabrini” and “The Chosen” coupled with several upcoming films from the studio, put the company en route to global recognition.
“We love Utah,” Harmon told Deseret News. “Angel right now is either on pace to becoming, or is already close to becoming, one of the most recognizable brands out of Utah in the world. So we’re very grateful for that and we’re honored to carry that torch.”
Watch: Trailer for ‘Cabrini’
The Angel Studios film is currently showing in theaters nationwide. “Cabrini” stars Christiana Dell’Anna, John Lithgow, David Morse and Romana Maggiora Vergano.