Movies - David : The Animated Biblical Musical That Defied Expectations and Emerged as a Box-Office Phenomenon

By Mulder, 01 january 2026

Released in the United States on December 19, 2025, in the middle of an intensely competitive holiday corridor, David quickly established itself as one of the most unexpected animation success stories of the season, blending biblical epic, musical storytelling, and large-scale international craftsmanship into a production that not only secured a remarkable $22 million opening weekend across 3,118 theaters, but also delivered the strongest theatrical debut ever achieved by Angel Studios for an animated faith-based feature, a result made even more striking given the film’s direct competition with heavyweight releases such as Avatar: Fire and Ash and The SpongeBob Movie, ultimately finishing second at the domestic box office while setting a new benchmark for animated films centered on religious themes, surpassing long-standing genre comparisons and reinforcing its audience appeal through a CinemaScore A and an extraordinary 98% positive audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, figures that reflect more than curiosity-driven attendance and instead signal genuine cross-demographic enthusiasm fueled by word of mouth, repeat viewings, and a studio distribution model already known for mobilizing highly engaged communities.

Conceived as a follow-up to the five-part miniseries Young David, the feature film directed by Phil Cunningham and Brent Dawes represents the culmination of a creative vision that predates the production itself by decades, with Phil Cunningham recounting that the original spark for the project emerged over thirty years ago during a canoe trip along the Zambezi River, an experience that profoundly shaped his narrative sensibilities and continues to inform the film’s tone, which deliberately frames David not as a distant biblical icon but as a deeply human, imperfect, emotionally accessible protagonist, a shepherd, poet, musician, and warrior whose journey transcends the familiar David-versus-Goliath confrontation to explore universal themes of doubt, courage, identity, faith, and freedom, a positioning that helps explain why the film resonated well beyond traditional faith-based audiences and aligned with Angel Studios co-founder Jordan Harmon’s early intention to reintroduce large-scale animated biblical storytelling to global mainstream cinema rather than confining it to niche markets.

The scale and structure of the production itself underline this ambition, bringing together more than 400 artists across 32 countries in a globally distributed pipeline designed to balance efficiency with artistic consistency, while placing unusual emphasis on historical and cultural authenticity, an objective pursued through four dedicated research trips to Israel undertaken by the creative leadership and supported by consultations with Douglas Petrovich, an expert in archaeology and ancient Near Eastern history, alongside Rabbi Tuly Weisz, whose expertise in Jewish tradition and language contributed to one of the film’s most distinctive features: the integration of genuine Paleo-Hebrew inscriptions, presented by the filmmakers as a cinematic first, while production designer and research lead Lynton Levengood described a methodology anchored in three pillars fidelity to the biblical text, direct immersion in the landscapes associated with David’s story, and collaboration with scholars and cultural specialists, an approach that visibly shaped the film’s environmental design, costume differentiation between Israelites and Philistines, and a visual aesthetic influenced by the stylized elegance of Alphonse Mucha and Gustav Klimt, creating a hybrid artistic language that merges historical texture with painterly sophistication rarely associated with contemporary biblical animation.

Musically, David distinguishes itself through the combined contributions of songwriter Jonas Myrin and composer Joseph Trapanese, whose orchestral score and vocal compositions form the emotional backbone of the film rather than serving as decorative accompaniment, with recordings completed in Budapest under the direction of Jason Halbert and performed by the Budapest Film Orchestra, ultimately generating a soundtrack album that debuted at No. 20 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart before climbing to No. 5, propelled by multiple charting tracks including Psalm 8, Follow the Light,”and Shalom, the latter widely cited by audiences and performers alike as one of the film’s most powerful emotional moments, notably by Timéo, who voices young David in the French version and highlighted the song’s choral intensity and lyrical resonance, reinforcing the idea that music functions here as narrative engine, character psychology, and thematic expression simultaneously.

The French release, scheduled for March 18, 2026, and distributed by Saje Distribution, benefits from a voice cast led by Elie Semoun, Fabienne Carat, Valentin de Carbonnières, Jessie Amseli, Gaétan Borg, and Emmylou Homs, supported by dubbing direction from Hervé Rey and musical supervision by Georges Costa, a veteran of French dubbing whose résumé includes numerous landmark animated musicals, with cast reflections offering insight into the creative experience behind the localization process, Elie Semoun emphasizing the expressive range afforded by antagonist roles and the rare opportunity to record against fully completed visuals, which allowed for greater performance precision, while Fabienne Carat described a deeply personal emotional connection to Nitzevet, David’s mother, underscoring how the film’s dramatic weight extends into intimate, family-centered storytelling that complements its epic framework.

Following its North American launch, David entered a phased international rollout beginning in late 2025 and expanding through early 2026 across Europe, Latin America, and additional territories, contributing to a worldwide gross of $83.9 million as of February 11, 2026, including $80.3 million from the United States and Canada alone, a performance that positions the film as more than a genre-specific success and instead as a case study in how faith-based narratives, when paired with high production values, strong musical identity, and globally coordinated artistry, can achieve meaningful commercial traction in a theatrical landscape often dominated by franchise-driven spectacle.

Complementing its theatrical presence, the film’s promotional ecosystem includes educational and family-oriented materials such as the official activity book, which highlights the characters, symbols, and themes of the story through puzzles and games designed for younger audiences , while the official press kit provides comprehensive artistic, production, and technical details that contextualize the film’s creative ambitions and industrial scale , reinforcing the broader strategy behind David: positioning the project not simply as a film, but as a multi-platform cultural experience aimed at reconnecting audiences with one of the most enduring stories in human history through the universal language of animation and music.

Synopsis :
David is a funny and lively young shepherd whose captivating voice amazes his family and King Saul. When the giant Goliath comes to terrorize his people, David, armed only with a sling, a few stones, and unshakeable faith, steps forward. Thus begins the extraordinary destiny of a simple shepherd who became king and, through his loyalty and courage, saved the soul of a kingdom.

David
Written and directed by Brent Dawes, Phil Cunningham
Based on Book of Samuel
Produced by Steve Pegram, Tim Keller, Rita Mbanga
Starring Phil Wickham, Brandon Engman, Asim Chaudhry, Miri Mesika, Mick Wingert, Will de Renzy-Martin, Lauren Daigle, Mark Jacobson
Edited by Tom Scott
Music by Joseph Trapanese
Production companies : 2521 Entertainment, Slingshot Productions, Sunrise Animation Studios
Distributed by Angel (United States), Saje Distribution (France)
Release date : December 19, 2025 (United States), March 18, 2025 5france)
Running time : 115 minutes