David managed to earn a respectable debut at the US box office, which could bode well for the independent studio’s future prospects. David is the second animated movie from Angel Studios, following the success of King of Kings earlier this year and ahead of the Andy Serkis-directed Animal Farm adaptation set for 2026.
While it came in second behind James Cameron’s sci-fi epic, David‘s solid $30 million gross is a solid start for the family film. Coupled with better reviews than many other Angel Studios movies, David could have a greater box office potential than King of Kings, and could prove that there is room for the studio in the animated space.
David’s Box Office Success Suggests Space Remains In Theaters For Religious Films
David‘s release highlights the continued market for family oriented religious films, especially if they have their releases timed around holidays. David was released on December 19 alongside some pretty stiff competition. Luckily for Angel Studios, David only really had one direct competitor in terms of other new releases in the form of The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants.
Meanwhile, Avatar: Fire and Ash and The Housemaid also raised stakes at the box office. Ultimately, all four had solid releases. Although it couldn’t surpass Avatar, the film debuted to a respectable $30 million and earned second place at the weekly box office.
This is actually a better success for Angel Studios than King of Kings, which debuted to $19.4 million earlier in the year. Similar to David’s released timed to the Christmas holiday, King of Kings benefited from a release around the Easter holiday and eventually earned $79.9 at the box office by the time it bowed out of theaters.
It seems likely that David could follow a similar trajectory, benefiting from the release right around the Christmas holiday. The film’s global release is also set to be staggered in other regions, potentially extending the box office potential for the film. It’s a solid win for Angel Studios, and speaks to a trend in recent wide releases from the studio.
David Could Play A Big Role In Determining Angel’s Future
Angel Studios has largely focused on religious-themed movies. Although some of their live-action films, like Sound of Freedom, have been met with controversy over their subject matter and questions about creatives behind the scenes, many of them have done well in terms of raw box office.
David is the second animated film from the studio, suggesting that the company may have found a potential niche with family animated films that have a religious angle. David actually earned half of its budget back with this opening weekend, and the movie might benefit from the school breaks and a relative lack of other original animated films hitting theaters.
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants is a very fun film and benefits from a committed fan base. However, it might suffer from a general audience that is willing to wait for the film’s release on streaming, especially after the last two movies in the franchise (Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie and Plankton: The Movie) debuted on Netflix.
Besides that, the only other big family-oriented animated film in wide release is Zootopia 2, which has been out for almost a month. This highlights how a well-timed family release can still draw in audiences, despite the tendency for families to wait out for the theatrical window in recent years.
The staggered global release and family-friendly approach to Bible stories could give the film more potential when it eventually comes to home video. If David is able to maintain the success of the opening weekend, then it could really ensure Angel Studios has found a niche as a studio for animated family films.
David
- Release Date
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December 19, 2025
- Runtime
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115 minutes
- Director
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Brent Dawes, Phil Cunningham
- Writers
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Brent Dawes
Cast
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Brandon Engman
Young David (voice)
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Phil Wickham
David (voice)
