Journey to Bethlehem | |
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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.
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]
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 Herod the Great.[5][6] Shooting locations included the Santa Bárbara Castle in Alicante.[7]
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 |
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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 |
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]
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]
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]