JFH News: No. 1 New Indie Film, "I Can Only Imagine," Hits High Note; Top 3 Overall

I Can Only Imagine Hits High Note As No. 1 New Indie Film & Breaks Into Top 3 Overall At The Box Office
-Highest Roadside Attractions Opening Ever-

Movie Version Of Hit Song Available Now On I Can Only Imagine - The Very Best Of MercyMe Collection

NEWS SOURCE: The M Collective
March 19, 2018

Nashville, Tenn. (Mar. 19, 2018) – I Can Only Imagine (Lionsgate, Roadside Attractions), the movie based on the life of MercyMe frontman Bart Millard who wrote the mega-hit song after the loss of his father to cancer, shattered pre-weekend tracking expectations to become No. 3 at the box-office this weekend and the No. 1 faith-based movie of 2018. The film took in an estimated $17,064,640 for a per-screen average of $10,475 from 1,629 locations in North America.

In support of the motion picture, MercyMe unveiled I Can Only Imagine – The Very Best Of MercyMe, a 13 piece collection of their most beloved songs alongside a special version of the monumental hit “I Can Only Imagine (The Movie Session).” The album is available for streaming and download on all digital outlets including Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes and Amazon. With the success of the movie, there is reinvigorated demand for the original version of “I Can Only Imagine” too. The best of album and double-platinum selling track has seen an increase in streams and sales, recently hitting No. 4 on the Overall Albums iTunes Chart and No. 7 on the Overall Singles iTunes Chart.

The 5X GRAMMY® nominated band will continue the “MercyMe LIVE” Tour with Tenth Avenue North and special guest Tim Timmons throughout April with stops in Omaha, Tulsa, Minneapolis and more. The three month tour has been trekking the East Coast including a sold-out stop at Nashville’s iconic Ryman Auditorium where Dennis Quaid and the Sharks made a surprise appearance and Music Row heralded their performance as “triumphant."

MercyMe will reprise the line-up with longtime friends Tenth Avenue North for “The Imagine Nation Tour” this fall with 20+ markets on the docket. Pre-sale for “The Imagine Nation Tour” begins tomorrow, Mar. 20. Visit www.MercyMe.org for the latest.

About MercyMe
Since their debut in 2001, GRAMMY® nominated, multiple American Music Award and Dove Award winners MercyMe have sold more than 9 million units in CD, single and DVD sales, garnered more than 57 No. 1 multi-format radio singles and four consecutive mainstream radio hits with “I Can Only Imagine,” (No. 4 AC/Top 25 on Top 40/Hot AC), “Here With Me” (No. 4 AC), “Homesick” (Top 10 AC) and “So Long Self.” MercyMe made history in 2014 as “I Can Only Imagine” surpassed 2 million digital downloads, making it the first song in Christian music to go platinum and double-platinum in the digital domain. The album containing the hit, Almost There, recently received triple platinum certification from the RIAA. In 2009, Billboard named MercyMe's "Word Of God Speak" the No. 1 Song of The Decade and the group the No. 1 Artist of the Decade in both the Christian Songs and Christian AC Songs categories, recognizing them as one of the industry's most notable talents. They have sold out venues throughout the US and Canada, including Radio City Music Hall, and have appeared on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, The Today Show, CBS This Morning, FOX New Channel's FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC News and in the pages of Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, USA Today and more. MercyMe’s eighth studio album, the RIAA Certified Gold Welcome To The New, garnered two GRAMMY® nods and four radio hits. LIFER, their latest chart-topping, GMA Dove Award winning and GRAMMY® nominated album, includes the RIAA certified gold, GRAMMY® nominated smash hit "Even If” which dominated the Billboard and Mediabase radio charts with a 19-week streak at No. 1.

It continues to be a landmark year for the current GMA Dove Award titled “Artist Of The Year.” A major motion picture based on the life of frontman Bart Millard who wrote the mega-hit song "I Can Only Imagine” after the loss of his father to cancer opened at a remarkable No. 3 at the box office on Mar. 16, 2018 (Lionsgate, Roadside Attractions). Carrying the same name, Millard’s first memoir released last month. I Can Only Imagine – The Very Best Of MercyMe is available now.

Get Connected With MercyMe
www.mercyme.org
www.facebook.com/mercyme
www.twitter.com/mercyme
www.instagram.com/themercyme
www.youtube.com/user/mercymevideo