EXCLUSIVE: Kennedy Center sells out new family-friendly show, doubles number of screenings to meet demand

The Kennedy Center set its latest record under the leadership of President Donald Trump and of Ambassador Richard Grenell — selling out one of its latest shows in one an insider called “lightning speed,” and even adding an extra screening of the film King of Kings due to demand, the Washington Reporter can exclusively report.

“King of Kings sold out in less than a week and so we added a second showing,” Grenell told the Reporter. “The studio was elated with the demand. It simply reinforces what we already knew coming into the Kennedy Center: Traditional programming is very popular and will be the reason people keep coming to the Kennedy Center.”

The Kennedy Center’s success in selling out its King of Kings screening follows a series of moves by Grenell to cut costs at America’s premier arts center, many of which have been exclusively confirmed by the Reporter. Grenell and Trump took over the center following years of what Grenell has called “criminal” mismanagement that left the center deep in the red.

The film, an animated movie that is based off of a Charles Dickens short story, focuses on a father-son duo that embarks on an “imaginative journey through the life of Jesus, delivering a fresh and heartfelt take on the greatest story ever told,” the Kennedy Center said. The first screening, set for June 1st, will now be followed by a second one later that day.

“The American people jumped at the opportunity to go to a family-friendly show at America’s institution for the arts,” one Kennedy Center staffer explained. “This is the type of programming that the masses want and even though it’s free to patrons, it’s being shown at no cost to the Kennedy Center due to very generous sponsors.”

Jason Walton, a sponsor for the film’s screenings at the Kennedy Center, told the Reporter that “the Kennedy Center is a national treasure,” and that “it is an honor to support President Trump, Ambassador Grenell, and the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees in the shared vision to inspire and celebrate our cultural heritage at America’s performing arts center.”

The CEO of Angel Studios explained that the film’s success “proves that when you give the audience the power to choose, they’ll elevate stories that matter and that will amplify light to families around the globe.” The Kennedy Center, Jordan Harmon added, “has the pulse on art and entertainment that is impacting our culture, and to see this film celebrated there is a victory for faith, family, and the future of storytelling.”

King of Kings’s all-star cast includes Kenneth Branagh as Charles Dickens, Uma Thurman as Catherine Dickens, Pierce Brosnan as Pontius Pilate, Mark Hamill as King Herod, Roman Griffin Davis as Walter Dickens, Forest Whitaker as Peter, Ben Kingsley as High Priest Caiaphas, and Oscar Isaac as Jesus Christ. Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth performs Live Like That, an original end title song for it as well.

Those interested in signing up for the second show can secure tickets here.