Season three of “The Chosen” will debut in theaters November 18

Fans of the popular television series “The Chosen” can see the first two episodes of season three in theaters beginning on November 18.

Last year, the holiday-themed “Christmas with the Chosen” grossed more than $14 million during its theatrical run –- a record for its distributor, Fathom — and also broke the Fathom record for out-of-the-gate ticket sales for the first 12 hours. Ticket sales were so impressive that the film’s theater run was extended.

“The Christmas special showed us that we do have a place in the theatrical realm,” said Katherine Warnock, head of original content for the series.  “We did not expect the Christmas special to perform to the degree that it did.”

The success of the Christmas special demonstrated that fans enjoy watching the series on the big screen. “It was wonderful to go, `OK, there’s a hunger for not only faith content in the theatrical space but there’s a hunger for `The Chosen’ here to cross over,” she said

This will be the first time a “Chosen” film has debuted on a weekend. After their theatrical debut, episodes one and two will move to series app in December, director Dallas Jenkins said.

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The Bible-based series, which tells the story of Jesus (Yeshua as he was actually known during his life) and his disciples, has been viewed by an estimated 94.8 million people worldwide. Warnock said the series’ depiction of the humanity of Christ is one of the secrets to its success. “He dances, he laughs, he tells jokes, he blows raspberries,” she said. “This season, we’ll see him play sports.”

What awaits Jesus also continues to be explored and Judas (introduced at the end of season 2) takes on a more central role.

The series, she added, explores the question of: “What did it mean to be fully God, fully holy … but also fully embracing of the mess of humanity?”

The series is scheduled for seven seasons. It is crowdfunded and available to watch for free on “The Chosen” app.

–Dwight Widaman | Metro Voice