The latest film from Angel Studios impressed audiences in its first weekend, soaring at the box office and finishing in the top five as it enjoyed one of the most successful openings in documentary film history. “After Death” finished in fourth place at the box office with a gross of $5,051,950, making it the 12th-most successful documentary movie of all time on an opening weekend.

It was ahead of Disney documentaries like “Born in China,” “Bears,” “Penguins,” and “Monkey Kingdom,” according to The Numbers. It also topped the opening grosses of such well-known titles as “Tupac Resurrection,” “Religulous,” and “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.” “After Death” explores stories of near-death experiences.

Brandon Purdie, executive vice president of global theatrical distribution for Angel Studios, said, “This weekend, the success of “After Death” underscores cinema’s vital role as a powerful communal space for pondering profound questions, igniting the deepest yearnings, and fostering collective hope.” The film also earned an A- CinemaScore grade from moviegoers. Angel Studios is the same company that released the blockbuster hit “Sound of Freedom” this summer.

The film includes testimonies from doctors and experts as well as from individuals who say they briefly visited heaven when their heart stopped beating due to a tragic accident or medical condition. One of those is Don Piper, a minister who was involved in a horrific car crash in 1989 and says he visited heaven. He called the film evangelistic. Piper told Christian Headlines, “This movie is the get-people-into-heaven movie. At the very least, it’s a conversation starter. But at the very most, it’s somebody’s first step into the glory of God.”

Dr. Michael Sabom, a cardiologist and author of multiple books on the subject, says in the film he was skeptical of near-death experiences until he began studying them. He became convinced that they may be real.  Some people, he says in the film, enjoy heaven so much that they “don’t want to go back” to Earth.