Easter 2016 bringing a slew of Christian-themed movies

Easter 2016 is ushering in a slew of Christian-themed movies that take inspiration from both the Old and the New Testaments of the Bible.

After the film "Risen" premiered in theaters, "The Young Messiah" will be released on Friday ahead of Easter 2016. The movie is produced by Chris Columbus, who directed the first two sequels of "Harry Potter."

"The Young Messiah" is based on Anne Rice's novel that tells the story of a seven-year-old Jesus (Adam Greaves-Neal) who returns to Bethlehem and performs miracles. In the story, a Roman assassin, played by Sean Bean, follows Jesus, creating a tense storyline for the movie.

Another movie, "Miracles from Heaven," is opening in theaters on Mar. 16. The film is based on the true-to-life experience of Christy Beam and tells how her young daughter miraculously recovered from a rare illness when she took a horrific fall. The movie stars Jennifer Garner and Queen Latifah, and is produced by DeVon Franklin.

"God's Not Dead 2" is also coming on Apr. 1, which is a week after Easter 2016. The movie's first installment earned 30 times the production costs when it was released; success that sparked the sequel.

Another faith-based movie titled "Only God Can" is coming this month to tell the story of five women who have been friends since college. Only two of them are committed Christians, while the rest of the group is not as devoted. Conflict will erupt among them when tragedy descends on their lives.

"Only God Can" is directed by Randall Owens, written by Colette Harrington Schwoeri and Terry Ward Tucker, with Linda Flannery as executive producer. It stars Lisa Sheridan, Donna D'Errico, Robbi Chong, Debra Capps, and Vanessa Evigan.

Indeed, the popularity of Christian-themed movies has been rising over recent years. While many Bible-based films used to be released directly to DVDs, more of them are now being released in theaters with bigger budget and greater investment, and Easter 2016 looks to continue this trend.