Audiences vote with their wallets for this latest faith-based movie from the Kendrick Brothers.
Overcomer claimed third place at the weekend box office, according to The Numbers, bringing in nearly $8.15 million. It did even better when measured by per-theater revenue, averaging $4,728 in each venue, which was above every other movie in the Top-20 except the overall number one film, Angel Has Fallen. For good measure, it also claimed an A+ rating from audiences in an opening night survey conducted by market research firm CinemaScore.
Now, we need to confess right up front that our prediction of $13 million was wildly over enthusiastic, missing by a country mile. Nevertheless, this is a good showing for the film from Alex Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick. First, it topped expert predictions of around $5.5 million, studio estimates of $6 million and, better still, is already significantly above the film's $5 million production budget. And Overcomer now has a good chance of seeing its 1,723 theaters increase for weekend number two.
This was the most anticipated Christian movie of the year and we felt it would also turn in the best box office performance, eventually topping current leader Breakthrough, which generated $40.7 million in domestic revenue. Though theoretically still possible, that now looks unlikely.
At any rate, you should go see Overcomer if you haven't done so already. It is well done, has a strong Gospel message, a good cast of Christian actors - Priscilla Shirer, Cameron Arnett, Shari Rigby and the aforementioned Alex Kendrick - and a good sountrack that features songs from Christian singers Lauren Daigle and Mandisa.