Journey to Bethlehem
| Journey to Bethlehem | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Adam Anders |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Xavi Giménez |
| Edited by | Sabrina Plisco |
| Music by |
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Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
Release date |
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Running time | 98 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $6 million[2] |
| Box office | $5.4 million[3][4] |
Journey to Bethlehem is a 2023 American Christian musical film directed by Adam Anders in his feature-length directorial debut. Written by Anders and Peter Barsocchini, the film stars Milo Manheim and Fiona Palomo as Joseph and Mary, with Antonio Banderas as King Herod.
Premise
A young woman carrying an unimaginable responsibility. A young man torn between love and honor. A jealous king who will stop at nothing to keep his crown. This live-action Christmas musical celebration for the entire family, weaves classic Christmas melodies in to new pop songs in a music-infused retelling of the timeless story of Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus.[5]
Cast
- Fiona Palomo as Mary
- Milo Manheim as Joseph
- Lecrae as Gabriel
- Joel Smallbone as Antipater
- Antonio Banderas as King Herod
- Antonio Cantos as Joachim
- Moriah Peters as Deborah
- Stephanie Gil as Rebekah
- Rizwan Manji as Caspar
- Geno Segers as Balthazar
- Omid Djalili as Melchior
Production
The film and its cast was announced in March 2023, with newcomer Fiona Palomo as Mary, Zombies star Milo Manheim as Joseph, and Antonio Banderas as King Herod.[5][6] Shooting locations included the Castle of Santa Bárbara in Alicante.[7]
Music
The following soundtrack was released on Nov 3, 2023.[8] The deluxe version containing the original score will be released on Nov 24, 2023.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" | 0:18 |
| 2. | "Journey to Bethehem" | 1:47 |
| 3. | "Mary's Getting Married" | 3:34 |
| 4. | "Good to be King" | 2:57 |
| 5. | "Can We Make This Work" | 2:46 |
| 6. | "Mother To A Savior and King" | 3:54 |
| 7. | "The Ultimate Deception" | 2:55 |
| 8. | "Three Wise Guys" | 2:34 |
| 9. | "We Become We" | 2:08 |
| 10. | "In My Blood" | 2:54 |
| 11. | "The Nativity Song" | 4:04 |
| 12. | "Brand New Life" | 3:27 |
| Total length: | 33:24 | |
Release
Journey to Bethlehem was theatrically released on November 10, 2023, by Sony Pictures and Affirm Films. A teaser trailer premiered in front of Affirm's Big George Foreman, before being released on YouTube.[9]
Reception
Box office
In the United States and Canada, Journey to Bethlehem was released alongside The Marvels, and is projected to gross $1–3 million from 1,823 theaters in its opening weekend.[10] The film made $1 million on its first day, including $250,000 from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $2.4 million, finishing in seventh.[2]
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 74% of 19 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.5/10.[11] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on A+ to F scale, while those surveyed by PostTrak gave it an 81% positive score.[2]
References
- ^ "Journey to Bethlehem (PG)". Irish Film Classification Office. October 6, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
- ^ a b c D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 12, 2023). "'The Marvels' Meltdown: Disney MCU Seeing Lowest B.O. Opening Ever At $47M+ — What Went Wrong". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
- ^ "Journey to Bethlehem (2023)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
- ^ "Journey to Bethlehem (2023)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
- ^ a b "SONY AFFIRM ANNOUNCES CAST FOR UPCOMING NATIVITY MUSICAL". Movieguide. March 1, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
- ^ "Milo Manheim Plays Joseph In 'Journey to Bethlehem': Everything We Know About the Movie Musical". J-14. May 1, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
- ^ Martínez, Cristina (May 19, 2023). "Trailer de "Journey to Bethlehem": el musical que rodó Antonio Banderas en Alicante se estrena en noviembre en EE UU". Información. Prensa Ibérica.
- ^ "Journey to Bethlehem Soundtrack (2023)". www.soundtrack.net. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
- ^ "Journey To Bethlehem - Teaser Trailer". YouTube. April 28, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Tartaglione, Nancy (November 7, 2023). "'The Marvels' With $140M Global Opening, Not Expected To Be Marvelous At Weekend Box Office – Preview". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "Journey to Bethlehem". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
