The highly-anticipated faith-based film "Miracles from Heaven" had an impressive opening this past weekend, bringing in $18.6 million over five days.
The film, which had a budget of just $13 million, also boasts an A+ CinemaScore from audiences, which means it connected with its target viewers, an audience that was 65 percent female and 75 percent over the age of 25, according to Box Office Guru.
"This is a big win for us, and the movie will continue to expand through and beyond Easter weekend," Sony distribution chief Rory Bruer said about "Miracles From Heaven." "You could see how the film kept growing, and we're playing beyond just Christian audiences."
Starring Jennifer Garner and Kylie Rogers, "Miracles from Heaven" is based on the true story of Annabel Beam, a little girl from Texas, who visited Heaven and met Jesus after a devastating fall. She was also miraculously cured of a life-threatening digestive disorder after the accident. Her incredible story of faith, hope, and overcoming adversity is retold in her mother Christy's memoir of the same title.
The success of "Miracles from Heaven" is unsurprising, as the film's genuine storyline and heartfelt acting tugs at the heartstrings, allowing it to appeal to both secular and Christian audiences. Garner's portrayal of Christy - a mother struggling with her own faith while desperately seeking a miracle for her daughter - is powerful, while Rogers' depiction of a young Annabel is equally compelling.
In an interview with WHDH, Annabel said she prays her story inspires and encourages others to understand the power of miracles and the goodness of God.
"I hope they take away a sense of faith, hope and love, and to keep fighting, and that God is good and He is real," she said.
In a 2015 interview with the Gospel Herald, Christy Beam echoed such a sentiment, saying she hopes her family's story serves as a reminder that God is faithful -- even in the little things -- and that we are blessed with miracles every day, whether we see it or not.
"It doesn't have to be one big huge grand miracle that happens to help you realize that God is faithful," she said. "He is there, He is real, He is active in your life. It is all those small acts of faithfulness that He is trying to show you daily of His love and His reality there for you. It may not mean you get a grand miracle, and that's ok, because sometimes all those little acts of faithfulness that God is showing you daily are miracles themselves."
Last month, producer DeVon Franklin told The Gospel Herald that "Miracles from Heaven" will not only entertain viewers, but strengthen their faith as well. "When people walk out of the theater, they're going to feel like God is real, that faith works, that miracles are everywhere," he said. They're going to hug their families, they're going to pray, they're going to thank God and leave the theater with hope that even if they don't get a miracle like Annabelle got, if they open their eyes and look, miracles are all around them, the miracles of love, the miracles of kindness, the miracles of peace, the miracles of joy. If we would just take a moment focus, we'll see that God is letting us know that we're not alone. These are things that I believe people will walk out the theater with."
