{"id":13374,"date":"2018-06-11T12:03:02","date_gmt":"2018-06-11T16:03:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/?p=13374"},"modified":"2018-06-11T12:03:02","modified_gmt":"2018-06-11T16:03:02","slug":"can-imagine-dvd-brings-powerful-christian-story-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2018\/06\/can-imagine-dvd-brings-powerful-christian-story-home.html","title":{"rendered":"\u201cI Can Only Imagine\u201d DVD Brings Powerful Christian Story Home"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Lionsgate-I_Can_Only_Imagine\"<\/a>The idea of a feature-length movie based on a song sounds ridiculous, but \u201cI Can Only Imagine,\u201d the faith based film based on the hit song of the same name, succeeded beyond anyone\u2019s expectations. The film grossed over $83 million overall, and it finished third at the box office during its opening weekend despite competing with such secular blockbusters as \u201cBlack Panther.\u201d Now, the faith-based film of the year is making the transition from big screen theaters to family TV\u2019s with the DVD release of \u201cI Can Only Imagine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Faith-based films are often dismissed by the movie industry as well as critics and Hollywood elites, but \u201cI Can Only Imagine\u201d earned an \u201cA+\u201d score on CinemaScore, the highest possible rating available. Less than 80 films can boast of a similar rating, even without the handicap of being a faith-based film in an overwhelmingly secular industry.<\/p>\n

The film \u201cI Can Only Imagine\u201d is as uplifting as the song on which it is based. The movie follows the story of Bart Millard, the lead singer of MercyMe and the writer of the song \u201cI Can Only Imagine.\u201d The film charts how a song that took only minutes for Millard to write was actually born out of a lifetime worth of experiences.\u00a0 The official synopsis explains that Bart Millard \u201cfound faith at a young age, [but] life wasn\u2019t easy for [Millard.] He leaned into an active imagination and his love of music as escapes from a troubled home life. As he grew older, [Millard] turned to football in hopes of somehow connecting with his abusive father. But a career-ending injury\u2014combined with the vision of a teacher who saw unlimited potential\u2014set [Millard] on a musical pathway.\u201d<\/p>\n

In both the movie and real life, Millard was simultaneously pursuing his dream and \u201crunning from broken relationships with his father and Shannon, his childhood sweetheart.\u201d Millard and MercyMe, \u201cnamed for his grandmother\u2019s favorite expression,\u201d hit the road in an \u201cold, decrepit tour bus\u201d in order to chase the ultimate dream of all musicians. \u201cWith the guidance of a grizzled music-industry insider, the band [underwent] a journey none of them could ever have imagined.\u201d<\/p>\n

As both the biopic of one of the most successful Christian songs of all time and as a real-life story about the power of faith, \u201cI Can Only Imagine\u201d is a must-have for every Christian family. The film is \u201ca gripping reminder of the power of forgiveness, [and it] beautifully illustrates that no one is ever too far from God\u2019s love\u2014or from an eternal home in Heaven.\u201d<\/p>\n

The DVD version of \u201cI Can Only Imagine\u201d will be available online (LINK: http:\/\/lionsgateathome.com\/i-can-only-imagine<\/a>) and in stores starting Tuesday, June 12, 2018. Pre-order (LINK: http:\/\/lionsgateathome.com\/i-can-only-imagine<\/a>) your copy today!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The idea of a feature-length movie based on a song sounds ridiculous, but \u201cI Can Only Imagine,\u201d the faith based film based on the hit song of the same name, succeeded beyond anyone\u2019s expectations. The film grossed over $83 million overall, and it finished third at the box office during its opening weekend despite competing…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":616,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[14,3388,3],"tags":[1960,2057,3636,3622,3679],"class_list":["post-13374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dvds","category-faith-based","category-movies","tag-christian-film","tag-dvd-release","tag-i-can-only-imagine","tag-mercyme","tag-successful-christian-films"],"yoast_head":"\n\u201cI Can Only Imagine\u201d DVD Brings Powerful Christian Story Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The film \u201cI Can Only Imagine\u201d was the hit movie that no one had expected to succeed. Now, the faith-based film of the year is available to own on DVD.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u201cI Can Only Imagine\u201d DVD Brings Powerful Christian Story Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The film \u201cI Can Only Imagine\u201d was the hit movie that no one had expected to succeed. Now, the faith-based film of the year is available to own on DVD.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2018\/06\/can-imagine-dvd-brings-powerful-christian-story-home.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Idol Chatter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-06-11T16:03:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/files\/2018\/05\/Lionsgate-I_Can_Only_Imagine.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Stephanie Hertzenberg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u201cI Can Only Imagine\u201d DVD Brings Powerful Christian Story Home","description":"The film \u201cI Can Only Imagine\u201d was the hit movie that no one had expected to succeed. 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