Think You Know Christian Movies? These 15 Facts Will Surprise You

You've seen the movies. You know the stories. But do you know what happened behind the camera?

Here are 15 facts about Christian films that even the biggest fans get wrong.

1. Fireproof was made almost entirely by volunteers. When principal photography began on Fireproof, the cast and crew numbered 1,200 volunteers - members and friends of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. Kirk Cameron was the only paid actor on set. The film still opened at No. 1 in its debut weekend. 

2. The Kendrick Brothers started with $20,000 and a church. With a humble $20,000 worth of church donations, Microsoft Word, and volunteers, Alex and Stephen Kendrick produced their first movie, Flywheel, a story about a dishonest car salesman who finds faith. Nobody could have predicted what would follow. 

3. Facing the Giants only opened on 441 screens - and still made $10 million. Despite opening on only 441 screens, Facing the Giants placed 12th at the box office in its opening week with $1.3 million, going on to gross more than $10.1 million. For a film with a tiny budget and no major studio behind it, that was a shock to Hollywood.

4. War Room hit No. 1 at the American box office. At their height, the Kendrick Brothers' movie War Room was the No. 1 film at the American box office - beating out mainstream competition during its second weekend of release in 2015. It was made for just $3 million and earned $68 million domestically. 

5. God's Not Dead cost $2 million and made $61 million. God's Not Dead was produced by Pure Flix Entertainment for $2 million - and made $61 million. Its first two sequels combined with the original for a total of over $81 million at the domestic box office. 

6. I Can Only Imagine was made for $7 million and earned $86 million. With a production budget of $7 million, I Can Only Imagine made more than 10 times that, clocking in at $86 million worldwide. Its opening weekend alone brought in $17.1 million - a result so surprising that even its own distributor admitted: "We never expected a $17 million opening." 

7. The song was written in 10 minutes. The movie tells Bart Millard's story - but the famous MercyMe song that inspired it was reportedly written in under 10 minutes backstage after a concert. Millard was processing grief over his father's transformation and death. The song went on to become the best-selling Christian single of all time.

8. Kirk Cameron's wife plays his wife in Fireproof. In the film, Caleb's wife Catherine is played by Erin Bethea - but in a real-life twist, Kirk Cameron refused to film romantic scenes with any actress other than his real wife, Chelsea Noble. Chelsea stood in for close-up shots that required physical affection, making it one of the most unique behind-the-scenes decisions in Christian film history.

9. The Kendrick Brothers' total film catalog has earned roughly $150 million. Kendrick Brothers films have earned roughly $150 million, possibly more, with production costs representing only a minuscule percentage of that figure. Flywheel started with $20,000. The math is stunning. 

10. The Passion of the Christ changed everything. Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ shocked Hollywood with its popularity in 2004, claiming the No. 1 spot at the box office for three consecutive weekends. It opened the door for an entire generation of faith-based filmmakers to be taken seriously. 

11. The Erwin Brothers were inspired by the Kendricks as teenagers. The people behind I Can Only Imagine - Jon and Andrew Erwin - were in high school and college when Fireproof and Facing the Giants came out. The Kendrick Brothers directly inspired their careers. 

12. Soul Surfer almost didn't get made. The film about Bethany Hamilton's recovery after a shark attack went through years of development struggles before it was greenlit. Hamilton insisted that faith remain central to the story - and refused to let the studio soften the Christian message. She got her way.

13. Two Angel Studios films cracked the all-time box office Top 50 in 2025. Two films by Angel Studios landed in the box office's top 50 in 2025: The King of Kings at No. 34 with $60.3 million, and David at No. 48 with $41.8 million. Faith-based animation is officially a major market force. 

14. The Chosen became the most-watched independent series in television history. What started as a crowdfunded idea about the life of Jesus became a global phenomenon. The Chosen surpassed 100 million viewers across its first several seasons, proving that audiences worldwide would invest deeply in a long-form, character-driven retelling of the Gospels.

15. Christian music and Christian film are growing together - not separately. The same cultural shift driving Christian music into arenas is showing up on screens. 2025 marked a year of longing for honesty, hope, and God's nearness - and in a time of uncertainty, faith-driven stories are serving as an anchor, not an escape. The audience is real, it's growing, and it's hungry for more. 

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