Still from The King of Kings. Image via Instagram/kingofkingsanimation — Still from The King of Kings (Image via Instagram/@kingofkingsanimation)

The King of Kings box office weekend earns $19 million, overtaking the Prince of Egypt’s longstanding record

Modified Apr 16, 2025 11:10 GMT

The King of Kings, a Biblical animated film directed by Seong-ho Jang and produced by Angel Studios, hit U.S. theaters on April 11, 2025. It made $19.05 million in its opening weekend, setting a new record for a faith-based animated movie, as reported by Deadline. The previous record was held by The Prince of Egypt, which earned $14.5 million in 1998.

The King of Kings was second in the list of highest-grossing box office movies this weekend, behind A Minecraft Movie, starring Jack Black and Jason Momoa, which earned $80.6 million in its second weekend.

The King of Kings becomes the highest-grossing Biblical animation

When The Prince of Egypt was released on 18 December 1998, it earned $14.5 million in box office sales during its opening weekend, making it the best opening for a faith-based animation ever. It was the second-highest-grossing movie that weekend, behind You've Got Mail starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.

Twenty-seven years later, The King of Kings breaks this long-standing record. In addition to its box office earnings of 19.05 million, it scored a rating of 7.3 on IMDb and 64% on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie features a strong voice cast, visuals, and soundtrack, appealing to non-Christian audiences as well.

Premise of The King of Kings

Loosely based on the book Life of Our Lord by novelist Charles Dickens (voiced by Kenneth Branagh), the movie opens with Charles being stern with his son Walter (Roman Griffin Davis), after he disrupts his public reading of his book, A Christmas Carol, with his impressions of King Arthur.

Upon arriving home, Charles's wife, Catherine Dickens (Uma Thurman), suggests that he tell Walter the story of the King of all Kings, Jesus Christ (Oscar Isaac). As Charles recites the story of Jesus's life, Walter embarks on an imaginative journey with his cat, Willa.

He sees himself befriending Jesus, getting to know and love him, and following him along his life story, through the miracles, parables, and discrimination that he faced.

Walter follows along on the story of Jesus's life. Image via Instagram/@kingofkingsanimation

Walter is torn apart after the crucifixion of Jesus, and finally begins to understand his love and sacrifice for the world. After the Resurrection, Walter accepts Jesus as his saviour.

Voice actors and their characters

Aside from Oscar Isaac as Jesus, Kenneth Branagh as Charles Dickens, Uma Thurman as Catherine Dickens, and Roman Griffin Davis as Walter Dickens, other voice actors include:

• Mark Hamill as King Herod

• Pierce Brosnan as Pontius Pilate

• Forest Whitaker as Saint Peter

• Ben Kingsley as High Priest Caiaphas

• Jim Cummings as Pharisee Hillel, Dismas, James the Greater

• James Arnold Taylor as Melchior, Matthew, Phillip, Thomas

• Vanessa Marshall as Mary of Bethany

• Dee Bradley Baker as Willa the Cat

As The King of Kings gears up for Easter weekend and its second running weekend, it makes for the perfect choice for families looking to spend the weekend with their children. It is available to watch in theaters across the US and Canada.

About the author

Natalie is an Entertainment writer at Sportskeeda with a diverse background in fashion, fitness, and content creation. She holds a BA in Fashion Design with Marketing and a NASM certification in personal training.

Her writing journey began in high school with fashion blogs and later expanded into health and fitness content for Sportskeeda's former Health & Fitness division. With seven years of experience, Natalie has contributed to brands like Medicon Leather, Fuel Hub, Zarrel Malaysia, and Shoppr Malaysia, crafting SEO-driven content.

Natalie's notable achievements include interviewing entrepreneur Michael Foley and being featured in Happiest Health magazine for her insights on training for women in their 20s. An extrovert by nature, she enjoys analyzing entertainment trends and understanding audience engagement.

Natalie prioritizes accuracy in her articles by cross-referencing multiple sources and staying unbiased. She admires Sophia Amoruso, having been inspired by her book #GIRLBOSS. Amoruso's journey, from unconventional beginnings to building a successful brand, resonates deeply with Natalie.

Outside of writing, Natalie spends time at a private exercise studio training clients and is also involved in textile sampling for a fashion brand that she is part of.

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