Zachary Levi stars in the new faith-based hit “Sarah’s Oil,” showing how Hollywood overlooked inspiring stories like this until their massive profitability became undeniable. The actor, known for “Shazam!” and now playing oil wildcatter Bert Smith, credited audience demand with sparking studio interest in faith-infused projects over the past decade. This true story of Sarah Rector, America’s youngest Black female millionaire, highlights Levi’s pivot to redemptive narratives.
Faith-based films became box office sensations, such as “The Passion of the Christ” ($370M+), and thus studios created special divisions for them. According to Levi, the pre-2015 apathy disappeared when the numbers came in that the faithful indeed wanted thought-provoking stories. The success of “Jesus Revolution” and “The Unbreakable Boy” further cemented the trend, and Levi has been attached to a number of them.
Levi passes on roles lacking redemption, preferring projects in which good conquers evil, regardless of overt religious themes. His script for “Sarah’s Oil” had him dumbfounded with the precocious faith of Sarah in light of 1900s Oklahoma prejudice. He lets spiritual guidance direct career moves, blending creativity with purpose.
“Sarah’s Oil,” from Amazon Studios and Kingdom Story Company, had a solid opening of $4.4M in its first weekend across 2,400 theaters.
