The Drummer Boy movie, a Revolutionary War musical from the Christian pop duo for KING + COUNTRY, opened at No. 3 at the North American box office, earning $9,421,843 in its first three days from 2,850 theaters, according to box office tracker The Numbers.

Audiences gave it an A CinemaScore and a 94 per cent Rotten Tomatoes audience score, the filmmakers said, even as critics were split, with Collider reporting a 55 per cent critics’ score.

Drummer Boy movie beats the forecasts

Released by Angel Studios on Friday, 6 November, the film beat several pre-release projections. Deadline had forecast an opening of about $8.8 million and The Hollywood Reporter about $7.9 million, according to reports by Gospelbuzz and Fiction Horizon.

Collider noted that it outperformed Angel’s two earlier mainstream releases this year, Runner ($6.4 million opening) and Angel and the Badman ($2.1 million). In a statement, the filmmakers said it was Angel Studios’ third-biggest live-action release and had outgrossed The Greatest Showman over the same first three days.

The momentum continued into the week: The Numbers lists a domestic total of $11,149,059 by Tuesday, 10 November.

A story of brothers, war and forgiveness

Drummer Boy follows two brothers who end up on opposite sides of the American Revolution. Joel David Smallbone of for KING + COUNTRY plays Jeremiah Clem, and Lucas Leach plays his younger brother, Benjamin. Iain Glen, Ioan Gruffudd, Melora Hardin, Charles Esten and India Brown also star.

Joel co-directed the film with his brother Ben Smallbone. The film’s announcement describes it as an original musical story “centered on forgiveness, freedom, and faith.” It is rated PG-13 for war violence and some bloody images.

“Because you showed up”

Joel Smallbone thanked fans after the opening weekend. “YOU DID THIS!!! DRUMMER BOY, the movie, was the #3 movie in America this weekend and it’s all because you showed up,” he said in a statement released on 10 November.

“Our hope is that this film will be a catalyst in other people’s lives inspiring them to embrace forgiveness this Thanksgiving and Christmas,” he added.

The film’s soundtrack has also done well. The statement said its music reached No. 1 on iTunes and that the song “Who I Hope to Be” became a No. 1 song.

From the big screen to a Christmas tour

Joel and Luke Smallbone will take their A Drummer Boy Christmas tour across the United States from 19 November, starting in Greenville, South Carolina, with stops including Atlanta, Orlando, Houston and St. Louis, and four nights at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House from 15 to 18 December. The statement said the shows will include moments inspired by the film. The duo’s first film, Unsung Hero (2024), won the GMA Dove Award for Feature Film of the Year.

Why it matters

Faith-based films often struggle for space in cinemas, so an opening that beats Hollywood’s own forecasts gets studios’ attention. Drummer Boy’s audience scores suggest families are still looking for stories that take faith, forgiveness and sacrifice seriously, especially heading into the holidays.

It is part of a busy season for Christian stories on screen, from Anne Wilson’s My Jesus film with Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company to Jim Caviezel’s latest project. Christian musicians are also heading out on the road for Christmas, including Lauren Daigle with her Behold Christmas tour.

As reported by The Numbers, Collider, GlobeNewswire (for KING + COUNTRY statement), Gospelbuzz and Fiction Horizon. Compiled and edited by the Jesus Social newsroom.

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