A new era in Christian film, 'Cabrini’ premieres in theatres March 8
Scroll down for Cabrini ticketing and showings in the area
After The Chosen was released in 2017, the Christian TV and film industry has never been the same. The minds behind The Chosen conceived a new way to fund their films—through crowdfunding and pay-it-forward ticketing—and established a new precedent of production quality across the board.
In general, Christian (let alone Catholic) films have been notoriously low-budget, with poor casting and cheesy scripts. It seems unlikely that many of the Christian films of old were truly evangelistic, reaching outside of the Christian circle. Of Gods and Men (2010), Calvary (2014), and A Hidden Life (2019) are a few notable exceptions, among others.
As many who have watched The Chosen from the beginning might remember, the series was produced by and streamed exclusively on what was called VidAngel. Initially, the streaming was a little clunky, but the series prevailed because of its quality and human relatability. With the success of The Chosen and VidAngel’s other venture, Dry Bar Comedy, there became an opportunity for VidAngel to recreate itself.
In 2021, amidst the record video-streaming numbers from the pandemic, VidAngel made a new for itself with a fresh logo and new business model: Angel Studios. The Chosen continued to grow under the new name and is now in its fourth season. With a bigger bandwidth, Angel started producing and acquiring various films and limited series across Christian denominations.
I would argue that Angel Studios is the A24 of Christian films. They bring together talented actors, authentic script writing, beautiful cinematography and decisive editing into their films—all of which have been sorely lacking in Christian film. They helped produce author Andrew Peterson’s The Wingfeater Saga into an animated series and were behind The Sound of Freedom, released in theatres last year. They are even looking at an apparel line, but A24 has their line pretty dialed in.
Angel plans to release three notable films in 2024, especially for Catholics movie-goers in the Inland Northwest:
Cabrini is Angel Studio’s first exclusively Catholic film, following the life of St. Francis Xavier Cabrini and her mission of serving orphans in late-1800s New York City. In theatres March 8, 2024.
Sight is a film directed by Spokane local Andrew Hyatt and recently acquired by Angel. The film is based on Ming Wang's autobiography, From Darkness to Sight. Dr. Ming defies all odds as a poor Chinese immigrant as he becomes one of the most renowned eye doctors in the US. In theatres May 24, 2024.
Bonhoeffer follows the life of German Luthern pastor Deitrich Bonhoeffer in 1940s Berlin. Bonhoeffer's writings have been revealed across Christian denominations. He most famously wrote The Cost of Discipleship. In theatres November 2024.
Across the Inland Northwest, theatres will begin showing Cabrini as early as the night of March 7. The following theatres have a variety of showtimes.
Showing Locations
AMC Riverpark Square, Downtown Spokane
Regal Northtown Mall, Spokane
Village Center Cinemas, Wandermere (Spokane)
B&B Theatres, Airway Heights
Regal, Spokane Valley
NuVu Theatre, Metaline Falls | March 15-17 Tentatively - St. Joseph, Metaline Falls will be open after showings for prayer and veneration of Mother Cabrini relic for those who attended the show.
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See you at the movies!
