'Jesus Is King' IMAX movie ends theatrical run this weekend (CP exclusive clip)
Kanye West launched his 31-minute cinematic film “Jesus Is King” on IMAX last weekend in conjunction with his highly anticipated album of the same name. Below is an exclusive clip from the film that ends its run on the big screen this weekend.
“Jesus Is King” the movie has been pegged as a “2019 American experimental concert” in the style of a short film. It was produced by Kanye West and directed by Nick Knight, and brings to life the rapper’s famed Sunday Service inside of James Turrell’s never-before-seen Roden Crater in Arizona’s Painted Desert.
For many years, West publicly projected a god complex through his alter ego Yeezus. But in 2019 everything changed for him, and he began his Sunday Service events featuring a gospel choir that reimagined mainstream songs with Christian lyrics. West said he became a born again Christian during this process.
“This one-of-a-kind experience features 13 songs arranged by West in the gospel tradition and performed by the Sunday Service choir presented in the immersive sound and stunning clarity of IMAX. Each scene is divided with Bible verses, including John 3:16 and Philippians 4:23,” the film’s synopsis reads.
Below is an exclusive clip from “Jesus Is King” showcasing Sunday Service choir director Jason White leading his team under the Roden Crater gateway as they sing their version of Richard Smallwood’s “Oh Lord, How Excellent.”
“Jesus Is King” premiered in over 400 select IMAX locations worldwide. Additional photography for the motion picture was shot on West’s ranch outside Cody, Wyoming.
West screened the film last week at The Forum in Los Angeles, California.
“To witness Sunday Service (even via social media) is to encounter a musician clearly moved by both the message and the medium of gospel” and “the reason to see it is in fact to hear it — to lose yourself in the astonishing group singing of West’s choir,” The Los Angeles Times wrote about the event.
Indiewire.com reported that to date, the film has garnered an estimated, $862,000 in 372 theaters. According to IMAX, “Jesus Is King” sold out in 17 North American cities including New York, Toronto, Los Angeles and Chicago, as well as other cities overseas where the movie grossed another $175,000 on 68 screens in 12 markets.
To purchase tickets, visit JesusIsKing.IMAX.com.