(NewsNation) — Ash Wednesday is a public sign of faith for Catholics everywhere. But while millions go to church, famous Catholic Jonathan Roumie is beating out Oscar contenders in theatres.
“The Chosen,” a television series about the life of Jesus, is currently No. 2 at the box office against major studios and raking in millions of dollars. The fourth season of the show is in theaters now.
With hundreds of millions of views, the series’ undeniable success is getting even more attention with major press, as are other faith-based projects including those as part of Amazon’s venture with “The Wonder Project,” a media company that focuses on faith-based stories.
Those involved say “The Chosen” doesn’t preach to viewers, it’s portraying history.
A 2023 Faith and Media Initiative poll found more than 50% of Americans believe the media ignores religion as an aspect of society. More than 60% say the media perpetuates negative stereotypes about religion.
Some say it’s taken longer to get Hollywood’s attention because of politics.
“Some think the idea of Jesus has been hijacked. My Democratic friends are very religious and they’re upset by that,” said Roma Downey, who played Monica the Angel in the CBS television series “Touched by an Angel” for nine seasons. “We have to look at Jesus as nonpolitical.”
As a growing share of Americans say they’re disinterested in religion, many still consider the Bible a timeless script with themes of division, opposition, death and life.
The new season of “The Chosen” portrays Jesus before his crucifixion.
As billions of people worldwide mark a time of prayer and fasting, Roumie hopes the idea of faith-based stories continues.
“I think the more we can get Jesus talked about in culture, the better the world will be,” he said.