The special bonus gift ‘The Chosen’ series is giving to fans this Christmas

Joseph, played by Raja Bond, leads a donkey carrying Mary, played by Sara Anne, in “Christmas With The Chosen: The Messengers.” | Steven Schwartz

Fans of “The Chosen” streaming series will receive a bonus gift this Christmas.

The show has produced a special episode, “Christmas With The Chosen: The Messengers,” that will open in more than 1,500 theaters nationwide on Dec. 1, according to a recent announcement by Dallas Jenkins, the series creator and executive producer.

Fans didn’t wait long to respond. “The Messengers” broke a record with $1.5 million in ticket sales within the first 12 hours, according to distributor Fathom Records.

The special will be in theaters for 10 days before it becomes available for in-home viewing.

“When we decided to do a special Christmas episode, we knew it would be the ideal moment to get this on the big screen,” Jenkins said. “It’s the first chance ‘Chosen’ fans have had to gather all over the country, so we intend to make it worth it. And with all the incredible musicians assembled, this is a perfect event for inviting friends.”

“The Chosen” is a story about the events in the New Testament and offers a fresh look at the life of Jesus Christ.

Most of the Christmas special was shot near Goshen, Utah, at the replica Jerusalem film set, which is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“The Messengers” depicts the birth of Jesus Christ as told through the eyes of Mary and Joseph, and features actors from “The Chosen” series.

Why produce a Christmas special?

“The first question everyone asks me is ‘When is Season 3 coming out’? They are just desperate for more content,” Jenkins said. “The fact that we’re actually doing a new episode for this Christmas special, I think will send them through the roof and tide them over until Season 3.”

The presentation also features a roster of Christian artists and groups, including:

• Phil Wickham
• Maverick City Music
• For King and Country
• Brandon Lake
• Cain
• Leanna Crawford
• Jordan Feliz
• Dawson Hollow
• Matt Maher
• One Voice Children’s Choir
• The Bonner Family
• Bryan and Katie Torwalt
• We The Kingdom

Wickham believes the presentation’s uplifting message is timely and will bring more joy to the world.

“There’s not many people singing about the joy in the world right now,” he said. “But I believe that, though happiness comes and goes, in faith in Jesus there is always a joy accessible. I’ve also heard it said, ‘Happiness is based on happenings, but joy is based on Jesus.’ ... We are here to spread that good news. I think it’s a powerful message for this time of year in general.”

Scott Jarvie

Christian artists and groups perform in “Christmas With The Chosen: The Messengers.”

“The Messengers” comes on the heels of a successful Season 2. “The Chosen” series has been viewed more than 200 million times and translated into 50 different languages.

“The release of Season 2 was huge. Of course, we were thrilled with the response,” Jenkins said. “There’s always a concern that you are not going to live up to the excitement that people had about the first season, but the reaction was strong, and the show is just catapulting around the world, which is really cool to see the international response.”

This is the second year “The Chosen” has produced a Christmas special with top Christian artists. The series was also launched using a Christmas short film called “The Shepherd” in 2017.

“There’s always a special place in my heart for Christmas for this project because it was launched with the Christmas story,” Jenkins said. “What we see with our fans is that when they watch the show, they love to know Jesus better. They want to celebrate or worship or respond in some way. We believe that doing this Christmas special every year will be an opportunity to get together and celebrate what it is they are seeing in the show. We want to do our part in providing something that’s not only entertaining, but truly brings them closer to Jesus, which is the whole point of the show.”

Learn more about “The Chosen” Christmas special at Thechosen.tv/Christmas.

The Chosen

Fans of “The Chosen” series can watch a bonus episode on Dec. 1 called “Christmas With The Chosen: The Messenger.”

The special bonus gift ‘The Chosen’ series is giving to fans this Christmas
Source: Gabriella Pinoys