Can a docufilm dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus – with limited distribution and no mass advertising campaign – surpass real Hollywood blockbusters at the box office? This is what is happening these days in Italy with Sacred Heart – His reign will never endthe docudrama released last year in France which celebrates the 350th anniversary of the apparitions of the Heart of Jesus in Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque occurred in Paray-le-Monial, Burgundy, between 1673 and 1675.
The data of success at the cinema
Let’s start with the data. Now consulting the Cinetel ranking – the company of the National Association of Exhibitors which every day publishes the takings recorded by films distributed in theaters – we read that the film grossed 265,478 thousand euros on the first day of programming (it was released on Monday 2 March) and was seen by almost 34 thousand people. To give an idea of the success, the second in the ranking, Scream 7raised 102 thousand euros, while Wuthering Heights it stopped at 99 thousand. As of March 4, still looking at Cinetel data, the film had grossed 417,771 euros.
An alternative distribution that focuses on the public
The film, produced in France and distributed in Italy by Dominus Production Srl., went almost unnoticed by the traditional circuits: no massive advertising campaign, no pre-existing word of mouth, yet the Italian and French public welcomed it with enthusiasm, with over 400 thousand spectators who saw it beyond the Alps. «It interweaves historical reconstructions, direct testimonies and theological reflections offering an intimate look at how the Sacred Heart has become a symbol of merciful love for millions of faithful», we read in the official synopsis, «these diversified voices show how devotion to the Sacred Heart touches every social stratum, meeting people even very far from the Church».
The distribution formula chosen by also contributes to the public success Dominus Production, founded in 2010 by Federica Picchi, former manager in the banking consultancy sector and current Undersecretary with responsibility for Sport and young people of the Lombardy Region, a formula inspired by the models of “event films”: limited release, limited places that can be booked in advance and on the website the possibility of requesting the screening of the film in your city. On the day of its debut, for example, Sacred Heart was present in 118 theaters, while the two blockbusters that followed it (Wuthering Heights and Scream 7) occupied 586 and 357 respectively. A targeted strategy that demonstrated how an interested and loyal audience can create surprising numbers even without the strength of large-scale distribution.
What the film is about
Sacred Heart – His reign will never end recounts the birth and spread of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, intertwining historical reconstruction, contemporary testimonies and spiritual reflections. Directed by the directors Sabrina Gunnell and Steven J. Gunnellthe film traces the history of one of the most widespread devotions in Catholicism starting from 17th century France, when in the town of Paray-le-Monial the Visitandine nun Margaret Mary Alacoque she said she had received a series of apparitions of Jesus between 1673 and 1675. According to Catholic tradition, it was precisely in those visions that Christ showed the saint his Heart as a symbol of God’s merciful love for humanity and entrusted her with the task of spreading this devotion in the Church. The film recalls that historical and spiritual context through fictional scenes that reconstruct the visions of the saint and the role of her spiritual father, the Jesuit Claude de la Colombièrewhich contributed to making known and supporting the spread of the message of the Sacred Heart. These sequences are accompanied by numerous contemporary testimonies: priests, religious and lay people tell how devotion to the Sacred Heart has marked their lives, showing how the message of Christ’s love continues to speak to the world today. Among the protagonists of the stories collected in the film there are people from very different experiences — a couple who rediscovers their faith, a converted musician, a sick young man, a former drug dealer from the French suburbs and a woman involved in helping prisoners — all united by the encounter with the spirituality of the Sacred Heart.
The docufilm therefore alternates historical reconstruction and contemporary tale, offering a view that spans centuries of faith and devotion. The cast includes actors Marcel Charlon, Grégory Dutoit, Julie Budria and Louis Bardon. Made on the occasion of the 350th anniversary of the apparitions of Paray-le-Monial, the film thus offers not only a historical story but also a spiritual journey that shows how devotion to the Sacred Heart continues to be, for many believers, a privileged way to understand the message of the Gospel.
The other films distributed by Dominus Production
Among the most significant titles distributed in recent years by Dominus Production there is also Cabrinia film dedicated to the figure of Francesca Cabrini, the Italian nun who left to assist emigrants to the United States at the end of the 19th century. Directed by Alejandro Gómez Monteverde and starring the Neapolitan actress Cristiana Dell’Anna, the film tells the mission of the future saint among the Italian immigrants of New York, between poverty, prejudice and institutional difficulties, up to the foundation of schools, hospitals and welfare works. They also appear in the company catalogue Sound of Freedomthe film that tells the fight against child trafficking inspired by the story of former federal agent Tim Ballard, and The Awakening of a Giant, dedicated to the Capuchin mystic Holy Veronica Giuliani (1660-1727), whose life was marked by intense spiritual experiences culminating in stigmatization. Three different titles but united by the intention of bringing stories of faith, commitment and Christian testimony to the big screen.
Origin and meaning of devotion to the Sacred Heart
The cult of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was born to honor the heart of Christ, symbol of his infinite and merciful love for humanity. The Catholic Church considers it a unifying center of the life of faith and of the person of Jesus himself, as recalled by Pope Francis’ latest encyclical, Dilexit Nos (2024), which emphasizes that this devotion is not «mere religious romanticism», but an invitation to immerse yourself in the heart of the Gospel itself.
The devotion has ancient roots, already present in the Middle Ages, but spread systematically in the 17th century thanks to Saint John Eudes and above all to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690). A nun of the Visitandines of Paray-le-Monial, Margaret Mary lived an intense mystical experience that made her a messenger of the Heart of Jesus. Between 1673 and 1675 she had four main visions in which Christ showed her his Heart as a source of love and mercy and entrusted her with the mission of promoting two fundamental practices: Communion on the first Friday of the month and the Holy Hour of adoration. During the fourth vision, Jesus also asked her to establish a liturgical feast in his honor, which would be celebrated on the Friday after the octave of the solemnity of Corpus Christi.
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoqueproclaimed a saint by Pope Benedict XV in 1920, saw the first celebrations of the feast already in 1685-1686 in Paray-le-Monial. Despite some resistance, especially from the Jansenists in the 18th century, the cult gradually established itself, until it became universal in 1856 with Pope Pius IX. Since then, sanctuaries, basilicas and chapels dedicated to the Sacred Heart have been created throughout the Catholic world, including the famous Sanctuary of the Sacred Heart in Montmartre in Paris, a symbol of a devotion that continues to inspire faithful of all ages and social conditions.
