By Keith Walsh
Though Marvel’s blockbuster Ant Man And The Wasp: Quantumania will likely take the top spot at the box office this weekend, there’s a powerful showdown happening for the number two spot.
Two new releases – Cocaine Bear, and Jesus Revolution – are positioned to compete for the weekend of February 24-26 2023. Today on KWVE radio, the flagship station of Calvary Chapel, listeners were urged to support Jesus Revolution. “We can’t let Cocaine Bear beat us at the box office,” said Senior Pastor Brian Brodersen, during the popular call-in talk show Pastor’s Perspective.
The film Jesus Revolution, based on the memoir by Pastor Greg Laurie, tells the story of the Jesus People Movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s, which started in Orange County, California when Pastor Chuck Smith welcomed thousands of hippies into the church before it became a global phenomenon.
Smith founded Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, California in 1965, and since that time, his evangelical church has expanded to an estimated 1700 locations worldwide. In the film Jesus Revolution, Smith is portrayed by Kelsey Grammer, while the hippy preacher Lonnie Frisbee, a catalyst who drew hippy masses to the faith, is portrayed by Jonathan Roumie, who also portrays Jesus Christ in the wildly popular series The Chosen. Jesus Revolution is directed by Christian filmmakers Jon Erwin and Brent McCorkle (I Can Only Imagine.)
Should Christians be concerned? Cocaine Bear, directed by Elizabeth Banks and based on a true story, depicts the devastation that ensures after a wild grizzly bear ingests a large brick of cocaine. In real life, the bear simply dies. In the film, it’s a gore fest in which the tweaked creature wreaks havoc on a community in the style of a horror filmed laced with comedy. Speaking of comedy, Cocaine Bear features comedian Scott Seiss, who gained fame in viral video shorts featuring snotty portrayals of mistreated retail employees, most notably at IKEA.
With COVID waning, there’s an opportunity to see both films. Why not hedge your bets and view both the decadent Cocaine Bear and the uplifting Jesus Revolution? And while you’re at it, throw in Quantumania!
What will you see? Comment below!
Jesus Revolution dot movie
Cocaine Bear dot movie
Scott Seiss On Instagram
KWVE 107.9 dot com
‘Jesus Revolution’ on Popular Culture Beat
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