In 1980, Lee Strobel is an atheist journalist and investigative reporter for the Chicago Tribune. He and his wife Leslie have a daughter named Alison and are expecting their second child. After getting a very special recognition, Lee and his family go out to celebrate with dinner, where Alison chokes on a piece of candy. One of the patrons, a nurse named Alfie, intervenes and saves Alison. She credits the event to God's will, which Leslie takes to heart. Leslie and Alfie become friends and start attending a Christian church together; irritated, Lee unsuccessfully tries to dissuade Leslie. On advice from his mentor, Lee sets out to find evidence that proves that the resurrection of Jesus did not happen. Meanwhile, Leslie gives birth to a son, Kyle. Lee starts gathering information and evidence such as the fact that there are 500 witnesses and the group of women at the tomb which actually helps support since women were not taken seriously. Next, he tries to prove that the witnesses were hypnotized, but a psychologist proves him wrong. He then tries to gather evidence that Jesus may have not died or was taken off, but a medical doctor again proves him wrong, saying Jesus had to have died on the Cross. Meanwhile, Lee's estranged father tries to reconcile with him and he brushes him off. His father dies and he learns he truly loved him, which makes Lee sad but also happy since he previously thought he didn't. Lee is also investigating a cop-killing case. At first, it looks like the convicted man is guilty and an informant for a gang, but Lee proves that the cop had shot himself with a secret gun disguised as a pen, and the convict is freed. Lee tries to get more evidence, but his mentor explains that whether he chooses to believe or not believe, the last part of proving His real existence is faith. When a colleague gives him a speech, Lee decides to take the leap of faith and believe. When he tells Leslie about it, they have a happy reconciliation and pray together.
In the United States and Canada, The Case for Christ was released on April 7, 2017 alongside Going in Style and , and was projected to gross $5 million in its opening weekend from 1,174 theaters. It ended up debuting to $3.9 million, finishing 10th at the box office. In its second weekend the film grossed $2.8 million, dropping 30.5% and finishing 9th at the box office.
Critical response
According to the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 59% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 27 reviews, with an average rating of 5.69/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "The Case for Christ shouldn't be dismissed, but like many faith-based productions, it's better at preaching to the choir than reaching the unconverted." At Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 50 out of 100 based on six critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Kevin McLenithan of Christianity Today gave the film a "fresh" rating and wrote, "The film may be only intermittently successful, but when it takes its own story seriously rather than treating it as a means to an end, it stands among the best films yet produced by the Christian film industry." Jackie K. Cooper of HuffPost gave the film 6 out of 10 stars and called it "Well made and well acted; the perfect movie for the Easter season." Michael Foust of the Southern Baptist Texan gave it 4 out of 5 stars and acknowledged he was "skeptical that The Case for Christ could be turned into an enjoyable film but was pleasantly surprised with the on-screen product." Foust added, "It is one of the best films I've seen this year, masterfully weaving a spoonful of apologetics into an engaging plot that will leave moviegoers entertained, educated, and perhaps even inspired." But Roger Moore of Movie Nation gave it only 1.5 out of 4 stars and called it "unemotional, uninspiring and unconvincing."
