Biblical movie on Abraham and Isaac makes history at awards ceremony: ‘Praise the Lord’

“His Only Son” Receives First-Ever Torch Award for Film

A new biblical movie has made history a second time this year. “His Only Son,” a movie about Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac, received the first-ever Torch Award for Film this month. Angel Studios, the film’s distributor, awarded the film at the company’s annual “Illuminate” event, which took place in Provo, Utah, on May 11.

The studio is perhaps most famously known for its hit Christian series “The Chosen.” Since the award’s inception in 2022, it was originally given to series productions. But because of the movie’s unusual success, Angel Studios created a new award category for films.

Congratulations to the brilliant team behind “His Only Son,” a movie so successful we created a brand new award category! “His Only Son” reached #3 in the box office its first weekend. Learn more about the film at https://t.co/obBlKp40Hi!#angelstudios #amplifylight #hisonlyson pic.twitter.com/zFgCxHjTOQ

— Angel Studios (@AngelStudiosInc) May 17, 2023

Director David Helling told Washington Examiner he was surprised by the award.

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Biblical Film About Abraham and Isaac Makes History at Award Event: 'We Praise the Lord'

The faith-based drama "His Only Son" has made history by becoming the first crowdfunded theatrical production to be released nationwide. During its opening weekend in March, the film grossed $5.5 million, premiering in fewer than 2,000 theaters nationwide. What makes its success even more impressive is that the film was made on a $250,000 budget.

Released by the new label Angel Studios, the faith-based drama #HisOnlySon placed fourth on domestic box office charts for the weekend. The movie opened to $5 million, which is impressive since it cost only $250,000 to make. https://t.co/JzTOscqSMw pic.twitter.com/ybhwuffjX6

— Variety (@Variety) April 2, 2023

"His Only Son" made enough to pay back its 2,024 crowdfunding investors, who are the reason the film made history the first time earlier this year. According to Washington Examiner, the movie continues to be released in international markets, such as South Korea, Brazil, and Latin America.

The Making of "His Only Son"

The film was made on a shoestring budget of $250,000, but it has made a big impact. "That’s exciting, just to know that this little film that was so humbly made on such a humble budget, that the Lord is just multiplying it out internationally, and that the Gospel impact will continue on for generations," said one of the film's producers.

The movie was produced by Angel Studios, a new label that is making waves in the film industry. Neal Harmon, CEO and co-founder of Angel Studios, said that the movie reached crowdfunding capacity quickly. "Crowdfunding for His Only Son reached capacity in 100 hours. We are responding to the demand from the audience by at least tripling the theater count nationwide and throwing our most valuable marketing resources behind the film," Harmon said.

The Future of "His Only Son"

According to one of the film's producers, a future film about the life of Isaac’s son, Jacob, is likely. "By God’s grace, I think we’re going to do another one about the life of Jacob," said the producer. "We’ll see what the Lord keeps doing with it."

Conclusion

The success of "His Only Son" is a testament to the power of faith-based films and the impact they can have on audiences. Despite its small budget, the film has made a big impact and is continuing to reach audiences around the world. As one of the film's producers said, "We praise the Lord for what he has put together with Angel Studios."