I Can Only Imagine Shatters Expectations With A Heartfelt Message

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It’s a story similar to David and Goliath. A small budget movie about faith and forgiveness goes up against the big bad Hollywood to prove it’s worth. Nobody imagined I Can Only Imagine would beat out big budget box office films and open in the number 3 spot in the country. But the films’ producers say they not only imagined it, they prayed for it too.

I sat down with Kevin Downes, an actor-turned-producer, who told me he and his collaborators had a plan from the beginning. They wanted to tell the story of Bart Millard, the lead singer of a Christian band called Mercy Me. Growing up in Greenville, Texas, Bart Millard suffered physical and emotional abuse at the hands of his father, Arthur.

When Arthur becomes terminally ill, he finds redemption by embracing his faith and rediscovering his love for his son. Years later, Bart’s troubled childhood and mended relationship with his dad inspires him to write the hit song “I Can Only Imagine” as singer of the Christian band Mercy Me.

The movie was directed by the Erwin brothers, Andrew and Jon Erwin and stars Dennis Quaid, Cloris Leachman, Trace Adkins and Broadway star J. Michael Finley as Bart. In August 2017 Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions signed on as distributors giving the film a nationwide release.

But Downes tells me they began marketing the film, which shot mostly in Oklahoma, months before it was released. It helped that I Can Only Imagine was already a hit on the Christian music charts and the band was performing in on tour while promoting the film. More importantly, he says this movie strikes a chord with people in the “flyover states” who feel left out of the Hollywood conversation. He says they are craving content that appeals to them and their values as much as a Marvel fan craves the next Avengers.

And the proof is in the box office numbers. So far, I Can Only Imagine has made $75 million dollars and was made for only $7 million making it the highest grossing film ever for Roadside Attractions. Talk about a return on your investment! Downes tells me they knew all along something Hollywood didn’t know: David always wins.

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