"I Can Only Imagine 2" Coming to Theaters Sooner Than First Planned

The sequel to the 2018 hit movie about Christian singer Bart Millard will roll out early next year.

Lead actor John Michael Finley portrays Bart Millard in a scene from "I Can Only Imagine." Image: Kingdom Story Company.

Moviegoers will have one less month to wait for I Can Only Imagine 2 than originally thought. That is because faith-based studio Kingdom Story Company and their partners at Lionsgate have decided to move up the release date to February 20, 2026 from March 20th, as originally planned.

It is not clear what prompted the change, but fans of the first picture, which delivered a huge $83.4 million North American box office, will no doubt be pleased by the new schedule. That original film told the story behind the hit Christian song I Can Only Imagine from the band MercyMe and lead singer Bart Millard, and it featured John Michael Finley in the part of Millard, with Dennis Quaid also as a principal cast member.

Those two will reprise their roles in the sequel, which is currently in production, and the action will focus on struggles Millard faced with his faith because of a health crisis involving his young son, even as the musician and his band enjoyed increasing professional success. The film is co-directed by Brent McCorkle and Andrew Erwin, the latter of whom directed the original picture and is one of the founders of Kingdom Story Company.