‘Young Washington’ Shocks Hollywood with Top 3 Finish
Sequel ‘1776’ Already in the Works
The historical drama Young Washington outperformed expectations over the Fourth of July weekend, earning a top-three finish and even topping the DC film Supergirl in a strong box-office debut. The patriotic film grossed an estimated $20.8 million, trailing only Minions & Monsters ($36.4 million) and Toy Story 5 ($31 million) and easily topping Supergirl, which took home $9.6 million in its second weekend.
Just as impressive, Young Washington finished in the top three despite playing in only 2,700 theaters -- well below the theater counts for Minions & Monsters (4,243), Toy Story 5 (3,975) and Supergirl (3,602). It also posted a strong $7,721 per-theater average, nearly matching Toy Story 5 ($7,798) and trailing only slightly behind Minions & Monsters ($8,578). Meanwhile, director Jon Erwin, who helmed the Angel Studios/Wonder Project film, announced in a weekend video that a sequel to Young Washington, titled simply 1776, saying the script is being written. Young Washington was the No. 1 movie in 28 states, he said.
Heading into the weekend, most forecasts predicted the film would gross in the mid-teens, with one estimate placing its opening weekend haul between $12 million and $17 million.
“I am grateful to the audience for seeing the film, for shocking the industry once again, for results that far exceeded our wildest hopes and dreams and expectations -- and I'm grateful for this country. That’s why we made the movie,” Erwin added in a Monday video on his social media feed.
It was the best opening weekend in the career of Erwin, who previously directed I Can Only Imagine ($17.1 million opening weekend) and co-directed Jesus Revolution ($15.8 million) -- both box office hits. Young Washington follows George Washington in his 20s as he pushes back against the rigid class system of 1750s colonial America and develops the character and leadership skills that would one day make him the nation’s first president.
Actor Chris Pratt doesn’t star in the film, but he was impressed enough to recommend it to his followers, posting on Instagram that he was “blown away.”
“The movie is incredible. Like Braveheart for Americans. Jon Erwin crushed it,” Pratt said.
Among Angel Studios releases, Young Washington delivered the second-largest opening weekend, trailing only David's $22 million debut. Sound of Freedom, however, followed an unconventional release schedule in 2023, opening on a Tuesday. Although its traditional Friday-to-Sunday opening weekend totaled $14.2 million, it had already grossed $41 million by the end of its first Sunday.
“Seeing audiences across the country embrace Young Washington during our nation's 250th anniversary celebration has been incredibly meaningful,” said Brandon Purdie, executive vice president of theatrical at Angel. “This milestone is a testament to the power of great storytelling and to our outstanding partners at Wonder Project and 2521 Entertainment, who helped bring this remarkable film to life.”
The movie stars William Franklyn-Miller in the lead role, alongside Ben Kingsley, Andy Serkis, Mary-Louise Parker, Kelsey Grammer, Joel Smallbone, Mia Rodgers and Leo Hanna.
Photo credit: ©Angel/Wonder Project
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
Originally published July 06, 2026.
