‘King of Kings’ to Take ‘Prince of Egypt’ Animated Biblical Opening Record

April 12, 2025

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Angel Studios’ first animated feature, The King of Kings, is poised to steal a box office crown when it opens in theaters this weekend. The faith-based epic, starring Oscar Isaac in the role of Jesus Christ, seemingly has the blessing of cinemagoers, as the movie has already amassed $14.6 million in pre-sales, according to Deadline. Its early box-office performance puts it in pole position for the best-ever opening for an animated Biblical movie, breaking a record held by DreamWorks Animation’s The Prince of Egypt ($14.5 million) for the past 27 years.

In addition to toppling The Prince of Egypt‘s animated retelling of the Book of Exodus, The King of Kings has surpassed the advance ticket sales of Angel Studios’ biggest hit, Sound of Freedom, which went on to make over $250 million at the worldwide box office. The studio’s latest offering is supported by a special “Kids Go Free” campaign that allows cinema patrons to receive one free child’s ticket to see the movie on the big screen with the purchase of any adult ticket. So far, over 1.3 million tickets have been claimed as part of this promotion, further boosting the movie’s pre-sale performance.

These animated films were huge hits that appealed to audiences of all ages and raked in huge box office numbers to make cinematic history.

Directed by renowned VFX specialist Seong-ho Jang, and produced by South Korea’s Mofac Animation, The King of Kings is loosely inspired by the children’s book The Life of Our Lord, written by celebrated British novelist Charles Dickens — who is featured as a character in the film and also provides the narration for the greatest story ever told. The movie follows a father and son as they embark on an exciting adventure, brimming with imagination, walking beside Jesus Christ on his journey of life. It’s a timeless tale that Brandon Purdie, Global Head of Theatrical Distribution at Angel, hopes to become part of the “Easter tradition” for the new generation.

“Just like the Prince of Egypt drew families to theatres, our Angel Guild has supported this film through pre-sales and strong word-of-mouth since it entered the Angel ecosystem. Charles Dickens had a tradition of sharing this story with his family, and we hope that The King of Kings will become a part of the Easter tradition for families around the globe.”

Oscar Isaac Leads an All-Star Cast in ‘The King of Kings’

Oscar Isaac as Jonathan Levy in Scenes From A Marriage — HBO

Isaac has taken a break from moonlighting as the MCU’s Moon Knight to deliver Jesus’ teachings in The King of Kings, and he leads an A-list cast of Star Wars and James Bond stars. Chief among them are Kenneth Branagh as Charles Dickens, Uma Thurman as Catherine Dickens, Pierce Brosnan as Pontius Pilate, Mark Hamill as King Herod, Forest Whitaker as Peter, Roman Griffin Davis as Walter, and Ben Kingsley as High Priest Caiaphas. Producer Anfernee Kim previously praised the ensemble for bringing the story, written by Jang and Rob Edwards, to life with their voices.

“A film capturing the epic life of Jesus Christ warrants a stellar cast, and our actors announced to date – Oscar Isaac, Forest Whitaker, Kenneth Branagh, Uma Thurman and Roman Griffin Davis – is impressive by any measure. Oscar perfectly captures the impactful delivery of Jesus, and Forest’s expertly embodies the complicated aspects of Peter.”

The King of Kings opened in theaters today, Apr. 11, just in time for the Easter season. The movie has received a 66% rating from Rotten Tomatoes critics based on 32 reviews to date. However, general audiences have responded even more favorably to the feature, with a 97% score on RT’s Popcornmeter. Reviewers so far have praised the film for its visually captivating animation, talented voice cast, and creative narrative structure. Its positive word-of-mouth will no doubt help it to make a divine debut at the box office.

Source: Deadline