After earning more than $34 million at the box office and becoming one of Lionsgate Studios’ biggest releases of the year, Dallas Jenkins’ “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” releases on digital outlets today. The film, starring Judy Greer and Pete Holmes, was a hit in theaters, earning both critical and audience acclaim. With its home video release, the film, based on the classic novel of the same name, will find a home with families through the Christmas season.
The movie centers on the town of a local church’s annual Christmas pageant which is disrupted by the unsolicited additions of a family of troublemaking kids, the Herdmans. As the pageant draws near, comedy and some emotional moments ensue, leading everyone to wonder if this year’s event will a disaster or in fact the best Christmas pageant ever.
At last month’s premiere in Los Angeles, actor Kirk B. R. Woller, who also stars in Jenkins’ series, “The Chosen,” said the story is the right message for today’s audiences.
“It’s a heartfelt story that I think everybody’s gonna love, and it brings back the true meaning of Christmas, which, for me, is so critical in these times that we live where’s just so much hatred and animosity,” he said. “So to make something that a value that I think will touch people’s heart is an absolute blessing.”
In a recent interview, Jenkins said he hopes the film becomes a perennial classic that viewers continue to return to every Christmas season.
“I really saw that this was something that could be a Christmas classic like, ‘It’s Wonderful Life’ or ‘Elf’ that you watch every year,” he said. “But the faith message was so ingrained in it, such a beautiful story. It was a classic piece of literature that has had fans since 1972. To take all that equity for a story that it’s just naturally a part of, just a great Christmas story.”
The synopsis for the film follows:
The Herdmans are absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world. They lie, they steal, they bully…and now they’ve hijacked the town Christmas pageant. Directed by Dallas Jenkins (“The Chosen”) and based on the popular book by Barbara Robinson — a #1 New York Times Best Seller on the Children’s list and international bestseller — THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER follows six siblings who sneak into church searching for snacks and walk away with the lead roles in the town pageant. Grace (Judy Greer) is directing the performance for the very first time, but she and her daughter Beth (Molly Belle Wright) and husband Bob (Pete Holmes) are in over their heads, especially against a town that wants them to kick the Herdmans out. But the play’s mischievous stars might unwittingly teach a community the true meaning of Christmas. Featuring Lauren Graham. Screenplay by Ryan Swanson and Platte F. Clark & Darin McDaniel.
“The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” directed by Dallas Jenkins and released from Kingdom Story Company, is available on a variety of digital retail outlets. Click here for more information.
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