How little-known filmmaker Jon Erwin holds the record for producing four of the most successful movies

One of America’s greatest filmmakers, considered more successful even than Steven Spielberg, is a director you’ve probably never heard of.

Jon Erwin, a 40-year-old director and producer from Birmingham, Alabama, has ignited the movie industry with his faith-based films that have received rave reviews across the country.

He has now made movie history as the only director to receive four A+ CinemaScores, beating out Rob Reiner, director of A Few Good Men, and Robert Zemeckis, director of Forest Gump.

Erwin Woodlawn’s films (2015), I Can Only Imagine (2018), American Underdog (2021) and Jesus Revolution (2023) all received the prestigious CinemaScore rating, something many of Hollywood’s best have not achieved with a single film. .

Only three directors in history have earned three A+ ratings: Rob Reiner for The Princess Bride (1987), When Harry Met Sally (1989) and A Few Good Men (1992); Alex Kendrick for his films War Room (2015), Overcomer (2019) and Courageous (2011); and Andrew Erwin for co-directing the first three films with his brother.

CinemaScore is a market research company founded in 1979. Company representatives conduct surveys of audiences who have seen the film in theaters and then transmit the data to entertainment magazines and production companies.

Harold Mintz, President of Movie Review Pollsters, announced: ‘Jon Erwin has now achieved four A+ CinemaScores, more than any other filmmaker since we’ve been collecting data.

‘For a director to achieve that achievement once is a rarity. But reaching that mark four times is not only an incredible distinction, it’s unprecedented. Congratulations to Jon and Brent McCorkle and the entire team at Kingdom Story Company.’

While Erwin has four of the accolades to his name now, multi-Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg only has two for ET (1982) and Schindler’s List (1993).

Jon was born in his native Alabama in 1982 as the son of a state senator and evangelical minister. His grandfather was Henry E. Erwin, who received the Medal of Honor in World War II, the highest US military award.

He started making movies with his brother in 2005. His first movie was a documentary about a steel cross that was discovered amidst the gruesome remains of the World Trade Center towers after the 9/11 attacks, called The Cross And The Towers (2006).

They then released their first feature film together in March 2014, an anti-abortion Christian film called October Baby.

Since then, they have produced and directed several films together, many of which amassed millions of dollars at the box office on relatively small budgets compared to other Hollywood blockbusters.

The brothers formed Kingdom Story Company in 2018, to specialize in faith-based films.

The brother’s first film to earn an A+ CinemaScore was Woodlawn (2015). The film depicts the true story of Tandy Gerelds and Tony Nathan.

The 2015 film tells the story of talented black high school football player Nathan, played by Caleb Castille, as he joins his school’s predominantly white football team following the desegregation of educational institutions in Alabama in the decade. from 1970. He experiences racism on and off the field.

I Can Only Imagine (2018) focused on the true story of one of the best-selling Christian singles of all time: MercyMe’s song of the same name.

It tells the story of musician Bart Millard, played by Michael Finley, and his relationship with his abusive father. The film grossed a staggering $86 million worldwide on a production budget of $7 million.

They also released American Underdog in 2021, a biopic about NFL quarterback, MVP, and Hall of Famer Kurt Warner.

The coming-of-age movie tells the story of Warner filling the shelves of a local supermarket to become one of the greatest footballers of all time. The film grossed $27 million at the box office, with Zachary Levi starring.

But the film that pushed Erwin ahead of all other directors on CinemaScore’s top list was Jesus Revolution, released this year.

The film defied expectations and grossed an incredible $15 million in its opening weekend.

Frasier star Kelsey Grammer plays Pastor Chuck Smith and depicts the Christian movement in the late 1960s and early 1970s that swept across the United States. Despite being described as “bland” and “difficult” by some critics, the film has proven to be a hit with American audiences.