SA Animation Sets US Box Office Records with a Real-Life David vs Goliath Story
Life truly imitated art on 19 December 2025, when David, a South African animated feature inspired by the biblical underdog story, went head-to-head with some of Hollywood’s most powerful franchises — and won.
Released across more than 3,000 North American screens on the same day as Avatar: Fire and Ash, The SpongeBob Movie: Search for Squarepants, and The Housemaid, David was widely expected to be overshadowed. After all, the Avatar franchise holds two of the top three spots on the all-time global box office chart, SpongeBob is often dubbed “the most memed show of all time,” and The Housemaid stars Sydney Sweeney, IMDb’s fifth most popular actor of 2025.
Yet in a box office upset worthy of its name, David outperformed both SpongeBob and The Housemaid in North America, debuting in second place behind only Avatar: Fire and Ash.
The film grossed an extraordinary $22 million in its opening weekend, marking the biggest three-day opening in Angel Studios’ history. It surpassed even Sound of Freedom, which went on to earn more than $250 million globally. The achievement also made David the highest-grossing opening weekend ever in the US for a faith-based animated film, overtaking both The King of Kings and the Oscar-winning The Prince of Egypt.
Adding to its historic run, David became the best-performing South African film in North America since District 9 in 2009.
Four weeks after release, the momentum continues. The film remains in the US top 10, with box office earnings exceeding $75 million in America alone. It now ranks at number 35 on Box Office Mojo’s list of the highest-grossing films of 2025 in US cinemas and sits comfortably within the year’s top 10 animated releases — even before completing its theatrical run.
Directed by Phil Cunningham and Brent Dawes, the musical epic is the result of more than a decade of collaboration. Both directors were born in Zimbabwe and are now based in Cape Town, where they led a team of over 400 local and international artists and crew. Production took place both in-house at Sunrise Productions’ studio in Noordhoek and remotely across 32 countries.
“After 30 years of dreaming, planning, working, failing and trying again, it is incredible to see the film out there. We set out to make a beacon of inspiration to our generation, and it’s wonderful to hear how the film is genuinely encouraging people.”
says Cunningham
“It was an incredible privilege to work for over 10 years with people from so many countries. We witnessed what happens when inspiration, passion and talent collide. David is a movie whose time had come.”
Dawes echoes the sentiment:
International acclaim has followed. Rotten Tomatoes’ critics praised the film’s “gorgeously animated backgrounds,” The New York Times described its detail as “surprisingly magnificent,” and Variety hailed it as “a spectacular showcase for the technical capabilities of South African animation house Sunrise Productions.”
Audiences have responded just as strongly, awarding David an A CinemaScore and a remarkable 98% Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score.
Grammy nominee Phil Wickham leads the cast as the adult David, lending his voice and vocals to a powerful score composed by Joseph Trapanese (The Greatest Showman).
Currently screening in both North America and South Africa, David is set for release in 44 international markets by 1 January 2027. The film is now showing at Ster-Kinekor and Nu Metro cinemas nationwide.
For more information, visit the official website.
