Journey to Bethlehem
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| 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 company |
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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 | $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[edit]
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[edit]
- 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[edit]
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 Santa Bárbara Castle in Alicante.[7]
Music[edit]
The following soundtrack was released on Nov 3, 2023.[8] The deluxe version containing the original score was released on November 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[edit]
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[edit]
Box office[edit]
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[edit]
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]
References[edit]
- ^ "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 December 22, 2023.
- ^ "Journey to Bethlehem (2023)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 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.
- ^ "Journey to Bethlehem (2023)". www.dvdsreleasedates.com. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ 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 December 1, 2023.
