Life had a sense of irony on 19 December 2025. That’s the day the South African animated feature David arrived in North American cinemas, opening alongside industry juggernauts Avatar: Fire and Ash, The SpongeBob Movie: Search for Squarepants and The Housemaid.
The competition could not have been stiffer. The first two Avatar films sit first and third on the all-time global box office list. SpongeBob has been crowned the most memed show in internet history.
The Housemaid arrived with the built-in audience of a bestselling Freida McFadden thriller and the star power of Sydney Sweeney, IMDb’s fifth most popular actor of 2025.
David is a Story of Faith, Courage and Impossible Odds
Ironically, David tells a story about facing overwhelming odds. When the giant Goliath rises to terrorise a nation, a young shepherd answers the challenge armed with nothing but a sling, a few stones and unbreakable faith.
In a real-world twist worthy of its source material, David outperformed both SpongeBob and The Housemaid at the North American box office, debuting in second place behind only Avatar: Fire and Ash.
Record-Breaking Opening Weekend
Opening on more than 3,000 screens, the film earned $22 million over its first weekend. This marked the biggest three-day opening in Angel Studios’ history, overtaking Sound of Freedom, which later went on to gross more than $250 million worldwide.
The release also set a new benchmark as the highest-grossing opening weekend ever for a faith-based animated film in the United States, surpassing both The King of Kings and the Oscar-winning The Prince of Egypt.
A Landmark Moment for South African Cinema
For South African film, the success of David represents a major milestone. It delivered the strongest North American opening for a local production since District 9 in 2009.
Four weeks after release, the film remains in the US top 10, having earned more than $75 million domestically. That places it at number 35 on Box Office Mojo’s list of the highest-grossing films of 2025 in American cinemas and inside the year’s top 10 animated releases, even before its theatrical run has concluded.
Crafted by a Global Team, Led from Cape Town
The musical epic was directed by Phil Cunningham and Brent Dawes, both Zimbabwe-born filmmakers now based in Cape Town. Together, they led a team of more than 400 local and international artists and crew members, working at Sunrise Productions’ Noordhoek studio and remotely across 32 countries.
“After 30 years of dreaming, planning, working, failing and trying again, it’s incredible to finally see the film out in the world,” says Cunningham. “We wanted to create a beacon of inspiration for our generation, so hearing how the film is genuinely encouraging people is deeply meaningful.”
Dawes adds, “Working for over a decade with people across so many countries was an extraordinary privilege. Watching artists from wildly different backgrounds unite around a shared vision was something special. David felt like a film whose moment had arrived.”
Critical Praise and Audience Applause
International critics took notice. Rotten Tomatoes praised the film’s “gorgeously animated backgrounds,” The New York Times highlighted its “surprisingly magnificent” detail, and Variety described it as “a spectacular showcase for the technical capabilities of South African animation house Sunrise Productions.”
Audiences responded just as enthusiastically. The film earned an A CinemaScore and a 98 percent Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score.
Music, Voice Talent and Global Future
Grammy nominee Phil Wickham voices the adult David and performs songs from a score composed by Joseph Trapanese, known for his work on The Greatest Showman.
David continues to screen in both North America and South Africa, with plans to roll out across 44 international markets by 1 January 2027, cementing its place as one of the most successful South African films ever released internationally.
Listen to official soundtrack to the film HERE.
Check out the trailer for David below:
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Watch this space for updates in the Movies category on Running Wolf’s Rant.
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