David did not conquer the Goliath known as Avatar: Fire and Ash during the opening weekend box office showdown before Christmas.

Nevertheless, the new feature from Angel Studios earned an impressive $22 million to secure the highest-grossing faith-based animated theatrical opening of all time, topping the $19.3 billion Angel’s King of Kings made earlier in 2025 during Palm Sunday weekend.

Overall, as of Jan. 5, David has accrued a hearty $70.4 million domestically, continuing a string of strong performances from Christian motion pictures at a time when very few genres of film consistently resonate with audiences.

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This reporter experienced the musical comedy-drama based on the Books of Samuel and was enchanted. It is vividly rendered with photorealistic computer animation, enriched with memorable songs and the storytelling achieves a deep emotional poignancy by virtue of remaining faithful to Scripture.

According to David’s production notes, the initial development team turned to both live action and animation concept artists as they sought to imbue the art with “an unusual grit and weight for an animated feature.”

Mission accomplished. There were occasions where the imagery was so immersive that it felt like theatregoers were with David and his family in the town of Bethlehem, the throne room in Gibeah as the shepherd soothed King Saul with his lyre or on the field of battle against Goliath.

In September, the Register spoke to John J. Schaefer, a co-director of Light of the World, an animated film about the life of Christ told through the eyes of John the Apostle. Schaefer said he and his contemporary Christian moviemakers, including David co-directors Phil Cunningham and Brent Dawes, are cherishing and understanding the power of an image better than ever before.

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“All the faith-based filmmakers have really raised their game,” said Schafer. “We live in a world where it’s no longer turning the dial on a television set. It is sliding (your finger). You have to grab someone’s attention for a theatrical release trailer in milliseconds.”                 

Thanks to David, Light of the World and King of Kings alone, the stereotype that faith-based films are visually low-quality is being transcended.               

Musically, David contains songs that capture the essence and pay homage to the man after the Lord’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). Particularly cherished are “Follow the Light” and “Tapestry.” The former is a joyful anthem that sees the young David tell the Israelites how faithfulness and trust in God are “the secret of freedom and feeling alive.” The latter is a beautiful musical duet between David and his mother (named Nitzevet according to Jewish legend) about how life is a woven tapestry, and we are all a thread contributing to God’s beautiful grand design.                                                                               

This mother-son bond is perhaps the most compelling aspect of the film. Co-director Cunningham said in a featurette that David “is a film that champions mothers,” and he certainly succeeded in presenting a mother who is joyful, loving, compassionate and roused by her faith every day. The consummate respect and love David exhibited towards his mother, and how mother and son strengthened each other while navigating adversity and uncertainty, is appreciated.

All these moments of deep meaning are a result of the team behind David respecting the sacred source material. The characterization of the titular character rang true throughout the 115-minute runtime.

Additionally, the core thematic message of following God and not the kings of the Earth was potently presented. I particularly responded to Samuel lamenting over the Israelites' demand for a king to be in alignment with other nations, as it signified a rejection of God’s rule. Samuel worried that Saul would oppress the people with war conquests and idolatry, and we see David’s predecessor become increasingly corrupted by vanity and stirred by evil thoughts.

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I hope that all viewers of David will take to heart the message of resisting idolatry in this age of influencers, generative artificial intelligence, materialism and many other “gods.” After all, the very first commandment is “I am the Lord thy God! Thou shalt have no other gods but me.”

I also pray that the young viewers of David —  the Angel Studios team has a “1 Million Tickets for 1 Million Kids” campaign — and are inspired by this servant of the Lord and embrace David’s willingness to step outside his comfort zone, imitate the love he shows his family and the creatures of the Lord and emulate his heartfelt desire to seek God at all times.