2023 new movie Jesus Revolution immediately lands in Netflix Top 10

Jonathan Rumie as Lonnie Frisbee in Jesus Revolution
Jonathan Rumie in Jesus Revolution (Image credit: Lionsgate)

The Jesus Revolution continues on streaming. After becoming a surprise hit in the early months of 2023, the faith-based movie Jesus Revolution has become an immediate hit on Netflix, quickly rising up the Netflix Top 10 in the US.

Jesus Revolution is based on a true story that takes place in the 1970s. A young Greg Laurie (Joel Courtney) is searching for all the right things in all the wrong places: until he meets Lonnie Frisbee (Jonathan Roumie), a charismatic hippie-street-preacher. Together with Pastor Chuck Smith (Kelsey Grammer), they open the doors of Smith's languishing church to an unexpected revival of radical and newfound love, leading to what Time Magazine dubbed a "Jesus Revolution."

In addition to Courtney, Roumie (who also is known for playing Jesus in the TV series The Chosen) and Grammer, the Jesus Revolution cast includes Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Anna Grace Barlow, Nic Bishop, Nicholas Cirillo and DeVon Franklin.

Jesus Revolution premiered on Netflix on Monday, July 31, and by the morning of August 1 it was ranked eighth among the top 10 movies watched in the US.

The movie did not receive rave reviews from critics, as it has a 55% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which classifies it as "Rotten," but audiences had a different take. Rotten Tomatoes' audience score for the movie is at 99% positive and at the box office the movie made more than $52 million. It came in at a very respectable third (earning $21 million) in its opening weekend behind Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Cocaine Bear.

While not technically part of the what's new on Netflix lineup for August, the passionate audience for faith-based movies could well keep Jesus Revolution in the Netflix Top 10 for some time. The real question may be how high it can go?

If you are not a Netflix subscriber, Jesus Revolution is available to rent via digital on-demand through various platforms in the US, including Prime Video, YouTube, Apple TV and Google Play. Unfortunately for UK movie fans, Jesus Revolution is not available on any streaming or on-demand platform at this time.

Also be sure to check out What to Watch's best TV shows on Netflix to see what else you can watch after Jesus Revolution.

Michael Balderston

Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd.