"Journey to Bethlehem" Crosses the $5-Million Threshold in Ticket Sales

The Nativity Story musical stars Antonio Banderas and Christian recording artist Joel Smallbone.

Lead actress Fiona Palomo (center) appears in a scene from "Journey to Bethlehem." Image: Affirm Films.

Journey to Bethlehem claimed 15th place at the box office in its third weekend in release, bringing in $650,000 from Friday through Sunday, according to The Numbers website. That is down from 12th place a week ago, but it puts the movie's total revenue at $5.7 million after 17 days in release.

The musical, which largely stays true to the Biblical narrative of the Nativity Story, features Fiona Palomo and Milo Manheim as Mary and Joseph, while Hollywood veteran Antonio Banderas and For King + Country musician Joel Smallbone bring star power to the picture, portraying the evil King Herod and his son Antipater, respectively. As Christian Film Blog has previously reported, what initially struck us as a most promising Christmas production from leading faith-based studio Affirm Films has not performed that well, which may be in part due to its curious release date in early November, well before the traditional start of the Yuletide season.