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Journey to Bethlehem

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Journey to Bethlehem
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAdam Anders
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyXavi Giménez
Edited bySabrina Plisco
Music by
Production
company
    • Affirm Films
    • Monarch Media
    • SPACE + ART Entertainment
    • Night Light
Distributed bySony Pictures Releasing
Release date
  • November 10, 2023 (2023-11-10) (United States)
Running time
98 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$6 million[2]
Box office$7.8 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

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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

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Production

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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 Herod the Great.[5][6] Shooting locations included the Santa Bárbara Castle in Alicante.[7]

Music

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The following soundtrack was released on Nov 3, 2023.[8] The deluxe version containing the original score was released on November 24, 2023.

Track listing
No.TitleLength
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

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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]

The film was released on digital platforms on December 8, 2023, followed by a Blu-ray and DVD release on January 16, 2024.[10]

Reception

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Box office

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In the United States and Canada, Journey to Bethlehem was released alongside The Marvels, and was projected to gross $1–3 million from 1,823 theaters in its opening weekend.[11] 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

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 75% of 24 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.3/10. The website's consensus reads: "Journey to Bethlehem adds a solidly traditional and surprisingly fun – albeit occasionally treacly – entry to the lengthy list of Nativity films."[12] 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] In 2024, it was awarded the Epiphany Prize® for Inspiring Movies by Movieguide at the Movieguide Awards.[13]

References

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  1. ^ "Journey to Bethlehem (PG)". Irish Film Classification Office. October 6, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ "Journey to Bethlehem (2023)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  4. ^ "Journey to Bethlehem (2023)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "SONY AFFIRM ANNOUNCES CAST FOR UPCOMING NATIVITY MUSICAL". Movieguide. March 1, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  6. ^ "Milo Manheim Plays Joseph In 'Journey to Bethlehem': Everything We Know About the Movie Musical". J-14. May 1, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "Journey to Bethlehem Soundtrack (2023)". www.soundtrack.net. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  9. ^ "Journey To Bethlehem - Teaser Trailer". YouTube. April 28, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  10. ^ "Journey to Bethlehem (2023)". www.dvdsreleasedates.com. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ "Journey to Bethlehem". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  13. ^ "The Movieguide® Awards". Movieguide® Awards. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
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