2 Episodes Of 'The Chosen' Online Series Could Be No. 2 At The Weekend Box Office

It's not just Netflix and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. More streaming content seems to be making its mark in cinemas ahead of an online premiere. In what would come as a stunning surprise, the first two episodes of the third season of "The Chosen" (Fathom Events), a faith-based, crowd-funded online episodic series, looks like it could rank up to No. 2 in the halls. this weekend.

Sources with access to ticket sales so far on its opening day estimate it could earn between $9 million and $10 million for the weekend. That would put it in a race with Searchlight's horror-comedy "The Menu" behind "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" weekend two.

The series from creator Dallas Jenkins is available to stream on Peacock, among other platforms, and focuses on Jesus' years as an apostle with his disciples. The new season will have eight episodes, available at an unspecified date after the theatrical release of the first two.

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Fathom and other niche content providers have become more important to cinemas beyond one- or two-day midweek programs (new movies, concerts, sporting events, operas, revivals). But publishing the first episodes of a series online with a Friday opening and a week (or more) of broadcasts is an innovation.

Originally booked for Nov. 18-22, 'The Chosen' is expected to continue based on early results, although screens will be heavily booked next weekend, according to Ray Nutt, CEO of Fathom. It follows last year's "Christmas with the Chosen: The Messengers", which Fathom also distributed. It opened midweek on December 1, with the combined film and a single episode of the series ultimately grossing $13 million, Fathom's highest-grossing so far.

This program ranked #4 for the weekend, grossing $9 million for its first five days and nearly $5 million for its first Wednesday and Thursday. Like this year, much of the revenue came from pre-sales, especially group ones marketed through church groups and with the large viewer base that follows the series online.

More impressive is that many of the 2012 theaters (a record for them and one that goes way beyond owners Fathom, AMC, Cinemark, and Regal) only have limited shows, with one show in the morning and one in the evening for some. Still, checking the seating charts reveals it's ahead of nearly every other film with a full schedule.

Beyond grateful theaters for the additional programming, this could be seen by other TV, cable, and streaming platforms as a way to showcase advanced looks at upcoming shows. And if so, it'll take a page out of Netflix's "Glass Onion" playbook. This further reinforces the idea that playing in movie theaters is the best way to grab attention for future home viewing.

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