Christian film Heaven Is for Real is off to a strong start at the Wednesday box office, where it is expected to make as much as $3 million for the day. The TriStar movie could gross as much as $20 million by Easter Sunday, one of the top openings ever for a faith-based title.
Influential pastor T. D. Jakes, director Randall Wallace and Hollywood veteran Joe Roth teamed up to produce Heaven Is for Real, based on the real-life story of Nebraska pastor Todd Burpo, whose young son said he found himself in heaven during emergency surgery. The film is adapted from the pastor’s book of the same name, co-written by Lynn Vincent.
STORY: Heaven Is For Real: Film Review
Greg Kinnear plays Burpo in the movie, which is launching in roughly 2,400 theaters. Kelly Reilly, Thomas Haden Church, Jacob Vargas and Nancy Sorel also star. Connor Corum plays Colton, the pastor’s son.
Heaven Is for Real is the latest in a string of recent faith-based movies prospering at the box office, including God’s Not Dead.
According to those with access to Wednesday matinee returns, Heaven Is for Real is doing well in traditional faith-based markets, including many cities in the South, as well as in the Midwest and in rural California.
TriStar, a division of Sony, decided to open Heaven Is for Real midweek in order to get a jump on the holiday weekend. On Friday, three mainstream movies open nationwide; Johnny Depp sci-fi epic Transcendence, horror-comedy A Haunted House 2 and documentary Bears.
Transcendence, from Alcon Entertainment, may have trouble hitting $25 million in its domestic debut, meaning it could lose to holdovers Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Rio 2.
Related Stories
Related Stories
More from The Hollywood Reporter
-
Bruce Willis
Arnold Schwarzenegger on Bruce Willis’ Retirement: Action Stars “Never Really Retire … They Reload”
![]()
-
The Little Mermaid
China Box Office: ‘Fast X’ Roars Past $100M, ‘The Little Mermaid’ Struggles to Stay Afloat
![]()
-
The Little Mermaid
‘The Wiz’ Star Stephanie Mills Relates Her Own Experience to Racist Backlash Toward ‘Little Mermaid”s Halle Bailey
![]()
-
![]()
-
![]()
-
Robert Downey Jr.
Jon Favreau Says Robert Downey Jr. Was in Talks for Another Marvel Character Before Becoming Iron Man
![]()
