There are bells (and smells) but no whistles. Despite this, the documentary Jesus Thirsts: The Miracle of the Eucharist earned the right to stay in theaters far beyond its original three-day run.
From the inbox on June 18:
JESUS THIRSTS: THE MIRACLE OF THE EUCHARIST scored big at the U.S. box office and Fathom Events today announced that it has given the popular feature documentary an extended release beyond its planned 2-day encore and is in theaters today, June 18, through June 26.
JESUS THIRSTS opened in theaters June 4-6 and grossed $2,141,273 and landed at #1 in per screen average for all three days of its initial release. Last week an encore was announced and because of encore pre-sales, Fathom Events decided to hold the movie over to June 26. JESUS THIRSTS is currently Fathom’s highest-grossing documentary of 2024 and is currently in second place for all documentaries released in 2024.
"I had a number of days in mind for this film and suddenly we are experiencing a frenzy at the theaters creating a demand to keep our movie going!” said Deacon Steve Greco, executive producer. "We are seeing a revival at the movies and we have exceeded the days that I wanted to see this film play in theaters.
"Right now this movie -- God’s movie -- is absolutely unstoppable! I cannot emphasize enough how incredibly grateful I am to the movie-goers for showing up and to Fathom Events for helping create this extraordinary momentum! Keep going! Together, we can be Eucharistic evangelists for this film as we return to theaters through the end of June and maybe beyond!”
JESUS THIRSTS: THE MIRACLE OF THE EUCHARIST is a feature-length documentary by Executive Producer Deacon Steve Greco and producers James Wahlberg and Tim Moriarty, that was released June 4-6 nationwide at 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. The powerful film is co-sponsored by the Diocese of Orange and puts Jesus on the big screen during the national Eucharistic Revival movement within the U.S. Catholic Church.
"The grassroots response that we are seeing is incredible and it’s all about souls,” said James Wahlberg, producer. “We are hearing about sold-out theaters around the United States and we are getting bombarded with requests for showings. Fill the theaters and tell others. This is our opportunity to evangelize through a film and to use the power of its message to change hearts. Let’s get back to the theaters!”
At a press event for the film's premiere at Christ Cathedral in Orange County, California (formerly Robert Schuller's Crystal Cathedral, now the seat of the Diocese of Orange), I met with the filmmakers (more on that here).
Among them was Oscar Delgado, a producer (St. Michael -- Meet the Angel), philanthropist and former NBC war correspondent. He supports many Catholic causes, including building the Adoration Chapel at Saint Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church that houses the world’s largest Eucharistic Monstrance in Chicago, featured in Jesus Thirsts.
He said:
You'll find that this film will reinvigorate your prayer life, reinvigorate the purpose that God has given to you. So, what I really highly recommend is bring your family, bring your friends, bring your pastors, bring them with pizza, if you have to.
Just bring everybody, because this is what we need. This is the remedy. This is the remedy for a situation that we're living in. The Eucharist is what we need. It's the miracle. The Eucharist is the source of our faith. Let's get back to believing, and we will change the world.
Click here for tickets to Jesus Thirsts: The Miracle of the Eucharist, and we'll see if it sticks around in theaters even a bit longer ...
Image: Fathom Events
Kate O’Hare, a longtime entertainment journalist, is Social Media Content Manager at Family Theater Productions.
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