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Just days after dropping his highly anticipated album, Kanye West proved to be king of the box office with his a 30-minute short film that collected $1.03 million globally over the weekend.
In partnership with IMAX, Ye’s new album “Jesus Is King”, is a Christian-themed collection of songs that are accompanied by an IMAX film, and Ye previewed both last Wednesday at the L.A Forum.
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“Jesus Is King” debuted in 21 cities around the world, including Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Copenhagen and Melbourne, Variety reports. The documentary generated $862,000 from 372 IMAX theaters in North America, along with $175,000 from 12 markets across 68 international venues, the report states. IMAX has announced plans to expand the film to 78 additional foreign territories on Nov. 8.
The on-screen musical takes Yeezy fans inside the rapper’s Sunday Service in Roden Crater and James Turrell’s never-before-seen art installation in Arizona. The “Jesus Is King” experience features Ye’s choir performing 13 songs, some gospel and a few of West’s biggest hits.
“We saw an opportunity to create a cultural moment with a visionary artist in a way that expands the IMAX brand, while surprising audiences and experimenting with what we can bring to our platform beyond blockbusters,” said Megan Colligan, president of IMAX Entertainment.
The film was directed by acclaimed photographer, Nick Knight, who dished about the project with SHOWstudio, and how it isn’t meant to put the spotlight solely on the Chicago-native, Complex reports.
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“Kanye did not want to be center stage. He said, ‘This isn’t a film that is about me, this is a film about worship — that’s a universal thing.’ He certainly didn’t want to be ‘Kanye West, the star of this film,'” Knight said. “It was a lack of ego and modest humility that was paramount to him in this film.”
Meanwhile, the hip-hop star has also dropped merchandise to correspond with his new album. According to Us Weekly, the collection is available on West’s website and includes items ranging from T-shirts ($60) to hooded sweatshirts ($170), the publication writes.
The “Jesus is King” album is also available to purchase digitally for $10, a CD version for $13 and on vinyl for $25.
Merch purchases reportedly include presale ticket access to an upcoming Ye event, and some items include a free digital download of the album.