Lionsgate and the trust-based Kingdom Story Company have extended their first-look deal by three years

A1 Digital India News: Lionsgate and the Irwin brothers’ loyal Kingdom Story Company — which released last weekend’s box office hit The Best Christmas Pageant Ever — announced Tuesday that they have renewed their first-look contract for another three years. This will allow them to remain in business together for a decade.

The deal was announced by Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chairman Adam Fogelson and Kingdom Story Company CEO Kevin Downs, who co-founded the company with John and Andrew Irwin in 2019. In a simultaneous move, Downs announced that the company is bringing Kingdom Story president and COO Brandon Gregory into the partnership.

“Over the past decade, Kingdom Films has established a unique ability to connect with audiences across diverse religious communities and beyond through high-quality storytelling and exceptional productions such as its holiday success The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” Fogelson said in a story.

Downs added, “2024 is the biggest year ever for Kingdom Story Company, with three films coming soon. I couldn’t be more proud of the incredible team of people who made this possible – from the filmmakers and cast to our executive team, marketing team, and especially our partners at Lionsgate, who have always supported our films and audiences.

Our goal is to share stories that inspire hope, and we take pride in each of our films, which not only entertain, but also spark conversations about faith and resilience that are more important than ever. The trio of films in 2024 includes Ordinary Angels starring Hilary Swank, and Alan Ritchson’s autobiographical film Unsung Hero featuring five-time Grammy Award-winning artist Joel Smallbone, whose band For King + Country is one of the most decorated bands based on faith by audiences.”

One Is the Best Christmas Pageant Ever Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Dallas Jenkins, the inspirational film performed better than expected at the national box office over the Nov. 8-10 weekend, earning $11.1 million and closing its Monday (Veterans Day) haul with $12.2 million.

The family-friendly, PG-rated Christmas pageant has performed best in the south and center of the country, where it is expected to maintain a strong holiday status through the end of the year, though it will face stiff competition from several movies releasing on Thanksgiving that it will have to deal with — particularly Wicked and Moana 2. And this week, another holiday-themed film is returning, Amazon and MGM’s Santa Claus action-adventure Red One, starring Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evens, even though that film was given a PG rating. 13.

“The power of redemptive history continues to find its voice. At Kingdom Story Company, we are proud to be a part of raising the quality of film for our favorite loyal audience. "It's a dream come true to see this growth into the mainstream," said Andrew Ervin, co-founder and creative director of Kingdom Story.