Faith-based entertainment has traditionally lived in the margins — underfunded, under-watched and often dismissed by mainstream media. Then, “The Chosen” exploded onto the scene.
More than 300 million people in over 175 countries have watched “The Chosen,” racking up nearly a billion episode views. No biblical series has ever come close, and its success is generating fresh momentum while redefining expectations for faith-based storytelling.
The biblical drama’s breakout success has unleashed a wave of faith-based series and films — but creator Dallas Jenkins doesn’t dwell on his role as a trailblazer in the rapidly growing genre.
Instead, Jenkins remains focused on his core mission: delivering a high-quality, faithful portrayal of Jesus Christ.
“When I’m working on the show, I can’t be thinking about anything more than trying to make a good show,” Jenkins told the Deseret News in a recent interview at ChosenCon. “The weight of responsibility of being faithful to the stories is big enough. I can’t be thinking about the bigger picture.”
Still, he has noticed the boom in faith entertainment, and applauds all of it, including whatever role “The Chosen” may have played in opening the door for these projects.
“The story of Jesus is for everybody around the world.”
— "The Chosen" director and creator
“As a consumer of a lot of this content, I’m thrilled when I hear that ‘The Chosen’ has impacted and inspired other people to do more things,” he added. “I love ‘House of David.’ I love ‘The Dead Sea Scrolls.’ I love what Minno is doing. I love the fact that so many big studios and platforms are now developing and releasing more of this content. So if ‘The Chosen’ had a role in that, that’s awesome.”
The groundbreaking success of “The Chosen” proved there was a hungry audience for biblical television and opened the door for more projects, such as the streaming series “House of David,” which also found a global audience and confirmed that “The Chosen” wasn’t just a one-off.
Faith-based entertainment has plenty of demand and, when executed well, can attract hundreds of millions of viewers.
“When ‘The Chosen’ hit as a series, that definitely was another step up in realizing how many millions and millions of people are hungry for this content all over the world,” said Jon Gunn, co-creator of “House of David” and a veteran of three decades in faith-based filmmaking.
“Make great stories — really well made stories that reaffirm and affirm (an audience’s) faith and values — and they’ll show up.”
Why ‘The Chosen’ has succeeded
Dozens of projects before “The Chosen” have skillfully portrayed the story of Jesus — from “The Passion of the Christ” to “Jesus of Nazareth” and “The Greatest Story Ever Told” — many of which drew large audiences and critical acclaim.
But “The Chosen” distinguishes itself by portraying Jesus and his disciples in a more authentic, personal and human way than previous attempts.
“The reason ‘The Chosen’ has connected (to audiences) is because first and foremost, it’s trying to be as authentic as possible,” said Noah James, the actor who plays Andrew on the series. “It raises the bar. And I love that.”
“Dallas (Jenkins) has portrayed the humanity of Christ like we’ve never seen before in cinema.”
— James Barnett, CEO of Come and See foundation
Gritty details such as going without food, dirt-clogged fingernails, ragged clothes and the repeated failures of Jesus’s apostles are not “glossed over,” James noted. The series deliberately avoids portraying a story of perfection.
The series also depicts relationship struggles, moments of weakened faith, everyday challenges and tensions among the disciples, giving audiences a relatable view of the story.
At the center is Jesus, played by Jonathan Roumie, who walks the line between the human and the divine. In “The Chosen,” he laughs and jokes with friends, expresses grief, and experiences fatigue, while also humbly performing miracles.
“Dallas (Jenkins) has portrayed the humanity of Christ like we’ve never seen before in cinema and that has really made a huge difference. It draws people in,” said James Barnett, CEO of Come and See, an organization which helps fund and translate the series.
“The Chosen” also bypassed the entertainment industry’s traditional gatekeepers through crowdfunding. Rather than relying on networks, streaming platforms or production companies, the series is financed by fans who contribute because they support the show’s mission.
Supporters have donated nearly $28 million to fund the seventh and final season of the series, per Come and See. Once released, episodes are eventually added to “The Chosen” app, where anyone can stream it for free — giving the series broad global reach.
Telling the story of Jesus as a TV series instead of a film has also helped set it apart and contributed to the series’ unprecedented success.
Multiple eight-episode seasons give viewers more opportunities to connect with the story, its message and characters, and allow for ongoing relevance.
“Unlike a film, it endures in a different way, because it’s season after season after season,” Gunn said. “It’s been really wonderful to watch Dallas, what he’s built and how drawn people are to these characters. This depiction of the story of Jesus is so human, it brings the Bible to life in a really compelling way.”
Finally, the mission behind “The Chosen” — sharing the story of Jesus with 1 billion people worldwide — has driven the series’ extensive global reach.
The first season of “The Chosen” is now available in 125 languages, setting a record recognized by the Guinness World Records for the most-translated season of a streaming series in history.
Some of the 125 subbed languages include Arabic, Bulgarian, Danish, Dutch, Flemish, Haitian, Hindi, Korean, Slovenian, Turkish and Vietnamese. Another 240 more language translations are currently in progress.
The ultimate goal is to translate the series into 600 languages, making it accessible to 95% of the world’s population.
“The story of Jesus is not just for English speakers. It’s not just for Hebrew speakers or Aramaic speakers. The story of Jesus is for everybody around the world,” Jenkins said. “What we’re seeing happening in the United States — where so many people are being drawn back to scripture, so many people are healing from hurt — that belongs in every country.”
‘The Chosen’ effect
On the heels of the mega-success of “The Chosen,” dozens of faith entertainment projects emerged, many drawing large audiences and further cementing the show’s impact on the genre.
While proving there was an audience for biblical television, “The Chosen” simultaneously set a new quality standard for the faith entertainment landscape — elevating expectations among viewers and ambitions among creators.
“There was a level of entertainment that I hadn’t really understood existed, that could impact people in such a way that great art throughout history has done,” said Jonathan Roumie, the actor who plays Jesus.
“I aspire now to do that (and) only really involve myself in projects that have some kind of impact — that would make people feel good or make people ask questions about themselves in a way great art used to.”
“This depiction of the story of Jesus is so human, it brings the Bible to life in a really compelling way.”
— Jon Gunn, co-creator of "House of David" on "The Chosen"
Mainstream media outlets are recognizing the commercial potential of faith-based TV and film, launching their own attempts at the genre, and, in some cases, funding and backing them.
Last February, Jenkins’ 5&2 Studios and Amazon MGM Studios formed a wide-ranging deal, granting exclusive streaming rights for “The Chosen” and a first look at future projects. Under the partnership, Amazon also provides support with distribution and marketing.
In collaboration with Wonder Project, Amazon brought “House of David” exclusively to its platform. The Bible-based series has amassed over 55 million viewers and spent 14 months in the streamer’s top 10.
Following the success of “House of David,” Amazon and Wonder Project launched a subscription streaming platform, also called Wonder Project, available within Prime Video that offers faith- and value-centered entertainment.
“It’s not a revelation that people want great stories, and they want great stories that are uplifting, and they want stories that reflect their values,” said Gunn, who serves as head of story at Wonder Project. “We’re forging a path right now and seeing the stages of something that’s just going to continue to grow.”
Netflix has also recently established a faith entertainment presence with the film “Mary,” a fictionalized backstory for Mary, the mother of Jesus, as well as “Ruth & Boaz,” a romantic comedy inspired by the biblical book of Ruth.
And Fox has released “Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints” and “The Promised Land,” and will soon launch “Faithful: The Women of the Bible” and “David: The King of Israel.”
Angel Studios, the Utah-based film studio that helped distribute the first three seasons of “The Chosen,” has emerged as a major force in faith entertainment and recently went public.
The studio, which aims to share stories that “amplify light and timeless values,” has released films including “David,” “The King of Kings” and “Solo Mio.”
Other recent faith- and values-based projects include “Soul on Fire,” “Sarah’s Oil,” “Truth & Treason,” “Between Borders,” “Unsung Hero,” “Jesus Revolution,” “The Unbreakable Boy,” “Light of the World,” “The Baxters” and “Testament.”
The momentum has carried into theaters, where faith-based films have generated strong box office revenue.
The theatrical release of “The Chosen: Last Supper” generated over $35 million at the box office last spring, pushing the franchise past the $100 million mark in combined revenue.
And Angel Studios’ “David” debuted over Christmas at $22 million at the domestic box office — making it the highest-grossing faith-based animated theatrical opening of all time.
Angel Studio’s “The King of Kings” had a massive theatrical debut over Easter weekend, earning nearly $80 million at the box office worldwide.
“The quality (of faith-based media) is getting better. I believe the money is increasing. I believe that the big studios are starting to see the value of it, and we’re also seeing an increase in the size of the audience,” Jenkins previously told the Deseret News.
“It’s not just suburban families that are watching these shows and movies. They’re starting to be taken seriously by a larger audience.”
Will faith-based entertainment maintain momentum?
Snaking lines of hundreds of “The Chosen” fans stretched outside ChosenCon over the weekend — a visible sign the biblical drama has become more than just a TV series.
Fans of “The Chosen” turned out early for the third edition of the convention, held in Charlotte, North Carolina. Most wore teal “The Chosen” merchandise and others stood out in biblical-era clothing inspired by costumes worn in the series. More than 5,500 fans attended the convention.
In line, the crowd buzzed with excitement as fans from across the U.S. and around the world connected over their excitement over the convention’s packed schedule, which included sneak peeks, Q&As and other interactive activities.
Jenkins already has extensive plans to capitalize on the momentum he’s created. He aims to expand “The Chosen” into a full universe, a vision he said is “already happening.”
At ChosenCon on Friday, Jenkins shared a timeline stacked with several projects for the coming two years and beyond, including future seasons of “The Chosen,” multiple spinoff series such as “Joseph of Egypt,” “Book of Moses,” “The Way of the Chosen” and a reality series, “The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls.”
“When I’m done with the main show, I’m going to be eventually getting into the Moses story and the Book of Acts. The Bible is so cohesive and hyperlinked, we want to do shows that capture them,” Jenkins told the Deseret News.
“There’s more stories than I can ever make, but there’s people who want to see more of it, so we’ll give it to them.”
Gunn, the head of storytelling at Wonder Project, expressed a similar sentiment and shared his broader vision for the streaming platform.
“There’s an endless well of great stories to tell,” Gunn said. “We’re not just a company that’s making faith content, certainly not just biblical content, but we just want to make great movies ... movies that we believe families can watch together.”
“Movies that are aspirational, inspirational, charming, have a heart and optimism,” he continued. “We’re all genres ... not all are going to have faith, but the idea is to tell stories that are uplifting.”
To keep momentum in faith-based entertainment going, two things are essential: Filmmakers must maintain the pace and quality of projects, and audiences must continue to grow and stay engaged in the genre.
As long as Jenkins and other faith- and values-focused creators avoid burnout from the current rapid pace of production, there’s no shortage of biblical and uplifting stories to fill streaming platforms.
If current and new audiences continue to crave faith-based content — and the slate of upcoming projects doesn’t oversaturate the market — there are enough viewers to keep faith entertainment thriving and eventually break fully into mainstream media.