The Forge is a 2024 American Christian drama film directed by Alex Kendrick and co-written by Stephen Kendrick. A spin-off to War Room, it is the Kendrick brothers' ninth film and the sixth through their subsidiary, Kendrick Brothers Productions. Their initial five films were created under Sherwood Pictures. It stars Cameron Arnett, Priscilla Shirer, Aspen Kennedy, Karen Abercrombie, T.C. Stallings, BJ Arnett, Ken Bevel, Benjamin Watson, Jonathan Evans, Jerry Shirer, and Tommy Woodard.
| The Forge | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Alex Kendrick |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Bob Scott |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Zachary Leffew |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
Release date |
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Running time | 125 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $5 million[1] |
| Box office | $39 million[2][3] |
The film was released in the United States on August 23, 2024, receiving positive reviews from critics and audiences and grossing $39 million worldwide against a $5 million budget and garnered Alex Kendrick's 4th "A+" on CinemaScore.
Plot
editIsaiah Wright enjoys playing basketball and video games with his friends. One day while playing video games, his mother Cynthia asks her son to help her with carrying the groceries, which he doesn't hear at first until his video game is over. His mother wants him to get a job since he has graduated high school, implying he skipped out on college. Isaiah doesn't want to go look for a job, but Cynthia threatens to kick him out of the house. He starts looking for jobs the next day, eventually landing at Moore Fitness to fill out an application. A man walks in and notices Isaiah sitting and filing out a form, and asks him why he's there. Isaiah doesn't want to talk to him, but the man turns out to be the president of the company, Joshua Moore. Isaiah throws away the application and is ready to storm off, but as he leaves, Joshua stops him and invites Isaiah to lunch. He gives him his business card and asks him three questions, telling him to call when he’s ready to answer them.
Cast
edit- Cameron Arnett as Joshua Moore
- Priscilla Shirer as:
- Cynthia Wright, Elizabeth's identical twin sister
- Elizabeth Jordan, Cynthia's identical twin sister (reprising her role from War Room)
- Aspen Kennedy as Isaiah Wright, Cynthia's teenage son
- Karen Abercrombie as Miss Clara Williams (reprising her role from War Room)
- T.C. Stallings as Tony Jordan, Elizabeth's husband (reprising his role from War Room)
- BJ Arnett as Janelle Moore, Joshua's wife
- Ken Bevel as James
- Benjamin Watson as himself
- Jonathan Evans as Jonathan
- Jerry Shirer as Vaughn
- Tommy Woodard as Bobby
- Marianne Haaland as Wanda
Production
editIn November 2023, it was revealed that a Christian drama film directed by Alex Kendrick titled The Forge had completed principal photography from June to July in Albany, Georgia. Cameron Arnett, Priscilla Shirer, Aspen Kennedy, Karen Abercrombie, T.C. Stallings, BJ Arnett, Ken Bevel, Benjamin Watson, Jonathan Evans, Jerry Shirer, and Tommy Woodard round out the cast.[4][5]
Release
editThe Forge was distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing on August 23, 2024.[6]
Reception
editBox office
editIn the United States and Canada, The Forge was released alongside Blink Twice and The Crow, and played in 1,818 theaters in its opening weekend.[7] The film made $2.4 million on its first day, including $600,000 from Thursday night previews.[1] It went on to debut at $6.7 million, finishing fifth at the box office.[8] The film made $4.6 million in its second weekend.[9]
Critical response
editOn the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 67% of 12 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.4/10.[10]
Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave The Forge a rare average grade of "A+" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave the film an average of five out of five stars, with 88% saying they would definitely recommend it.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 25, 2024). "Deadpool & Wolverine Pulling Feathers Off The Crow & Putting Blink Twice To Sleep As Summer Winds Down – Sunday AM Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
- ^ "The Forge – Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ "The Forge". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ "FIRST LOOK AT NEWEST KENDRICK BROTHERS' THEATRICAL RELEASE: 'THE FORGE' FROM AFFIRM FILMS AND PROVIDENT FILMS". PR Newswire. November 15, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
- ^ "NEW KENDRICK BROTHERS MOVIE 'THE FORGE' TO REUNITE GREAT AMERICAN PURE FLIX FAN FAVES". Pure Flix. November 15, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 22, 2024). "Sony Pictures Sitting Out CinemaCon 2024". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 22, 2024). "'Alien: Romulus' To Continue Face-Hug Of Box Office Despite Three Wide Entries As Summer Slows Down". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
- ^ "Domestic 2024 Weekend 34". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
- ^ "Domestic 2024 Weekend 35". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
- ^ "The Forge". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 28, 2024.