Route 60 on the map: A new American film shot in Israel conquers the US box office - and surprisingly surpasses the sales of "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer". The film is called "Route 60," as it is called on the Israeli road marking map. It tells the story of the historical sites sacred to Judaism and Christianity mentioned in the Bible, between Nazareth and Beersheba.
Launch of the film "Barbie" //Moshe Ben-Simhon
The film talks about the "Way of the Patriarchs", which includes: Old Shiloh, the Jacob's Ladder site in Beit El, the Old City, the Western Wall and Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Rachel's Tomb near Bethlehem, the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, Old Beersheba and more.
The casting of the main "actors" in the film is also unusual: the first is former US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, and the second is US Secretary of State during the Trump administration, Mike Pompeo, who was also director of the CIA. It was Pompeo who changed U.S. policy regarding Israeli settlement in Judea and Samaria, stating that it was not illegal.
Over the course of the film, the two tour the sites and tell about them from the religious perspective of Friedman the Jew and Pompeo the Christian. The film was produced by the Christian television network, TBN, which is considered the largest in the world.
"The Bible still matters." From the movie "Route 60",
Friedman defines Highway 60 as "the original Bible belt, the biblical backbone of Israel. It is a highway of deep historical significance and often the scene of unrest and violence. The road begins in Nazareth, Israel's largest Arab city, and ends in Be'er Sheva, one of Israel's high-tech centers.
"Route 60 runs from north to south and connects ancient Israel with modern Israel, Jews and Christians with Muslims and Israelis with Palestinians. It is a historical and sacred link to the roots of Judaism and Christianity and to the stories of the Old and New Testaments. This is holy land where Abraham, Jacob, King David and Jesus once walked."
Already on the night of the second screenings - the film ranked fourth. Cinema (illustration), photo: GettyImages
Upon its release, the film was a great success. Already on the second night of screenings, it ranked fourth in ticket sales with revenues of $764,000 a day, above "Barbie" at No. 5 and "Oppenheimer" at No. 6.
Friedman continued: "Last night, the second night of the screening of Highway 60: The Biblical Highway, we came in fourth place nationwide at the box office. We achieved these results in half or even less than the number of theaters of the other films. That means the Bible still matters!"
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