{"id":6617,"date":"2018-05-07T12:54:46","date_gmt":"2018-05-07T10:54:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/?p=6617"},"modified":"2018-05-07T12:54:46","modified_gmt":"2018-05-07T10:54:46","slug":"international-blockbuster-i-can-only-imagine-hits-local-cinemas-this-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/blog\/2018\/05\/07\/international-blockbuster-i-can-only-imagine-hits-local-cinemas-this-week\/","title":{"rendered":"International Blockbuster “I Can Only Imagine” Hits Local Cinemas This Week"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"\u201cI was skeptical that a movie based on a song could work\u2014no matter how great that song was.\u00a0 But I’ll admit it: I was wrong. There\u2019s more to I CAN ONLY IMAGINE than I had ever been able to imagine,\u201d says Pluggedin.com\u2019s Adam R. Holz about this captivating film adaptation, based on the true story behind Christian rock group, MercyMe<\/a>\u2019s hit with the same name.<\/p>\n

Since its international release in March 2018, this film has managed to create the same kind of hype that the multi-platinum single caused when it was released in 2001 and has already earned approximately $81\u00a0000\u00a0000 ($17\u00a0108\u00a0914 during opening weekend) at the US Box Office. Starting this weekend (opening 11 May), South African audiences will also get the opportunity to experience this inspiring tale on the big screen when it opens at cinemas nationwide.<\/p>\n

The idea for the song was inspired by band frontman, Bart Millard\u2019s past and was written years after finally overcoming his abusive childhood. It immediately resonated with audiences of all ages, became an instant top-selling hit, won Songwriter Of The Year and Song Of The Year at the Dove Awards and was certified as a double platinum selling Christian song.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were making an independent record, and we needed one more song. And I was literally just trying to find a blank page [in my journal], and every page had the words \u2018I Can Only Imagine\u2019 written on it,\u201d shares Bart. \u201cSo it was kinda like, \u2018I get it.\u2019 I wrote the song on the bus one night. Even though it took about five or ten minutes to write, it had been in my heart for a really long time.\u201d<\/p>\n