‘I Can Only Imagine’: A Primer on the Christian Indie That Could Surprise at the Box Office

Faith-based films, while lacking the advertising budgets of bigger titles, often overperform at the box office.

Last year, the religious sports drama “Slamma Jamma” grossed over $1 million from 502 theaters, and titles like “Fireproof,” “Courageous,” and “War Room” all grossed over $30 million in recent years, according to Box Office Mojo.

“God’s Not Dead” even spawned a franchise after the first installment opened to $9 million from 780 theaters and finished its run with $60 million.

This year, “I Can Only Imagine” seems poised to carry on the tradition, as a robust ad campaign on television and online is building buzz about the biopic.“I Can Only Imagine” is based on the story behind the song of the same name by Christian rock band MercyMe.

The Texas-based group released the song in 2001 and it became a rare crossover hit, selling 2.5 million copies to become the best-selling Christian single of all time.

The film version follows MercyMe’s lead singer,

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