From left, marketing liaison Jason Noble, filmmaker Brent McCorkle and Adventure Church Pastor Greg Munsur address attendees during a special event at Adventure Church in Yuba City on Feb. 15. McCorkle visited the church ahead of the nationwide release of I Can Only Imagine 2. Photo by Shamaya Sutton

YUBA CITY, CA (MPG) - As “I Can Only Imagine 2” opened nationwide Feb. 20, filmmaker Brent McCorkle made a stop in Yuba City to meet with local audiences and discuss the sequel before its wide release.

McCorkle, writer and director of the film, visited Adventure Church on Feb. 15 for a screening of the original 2018 film “I Can Only Imagine” followed by a live question-and-answer session. The next day, Feb. 16, church members filled a sold-out early screening of the sequel at Cinemark Yuba City.

The visit came through the church’s ongoing relationship with the film’s promotional team, including marketing liaison Jason Noble, an Oregon pastor and the real-life subject of the 2019 film “Breakthrough.” Noble works with outreach efforts for faith-based releases and said Yuba City regularly ranks among the top 20 markets nationwide for films distributed by Kingdom Story Company. He attributed that standing to strong local support for faith-centered features.

Released in 2018, “I Can Only Imagine” told the story behind MercyMe’s Christian song of the same name. The film centered on lead singer Bart Millard’s childhood, his difficult relationship with his father and his path toward forgiveness and faith. The movie grossed more than $80 million domestically and became one of the most successful independent faith-based films in recent years.

The sequel continues Millard’s story after the band’s rise to national attention. McCorkle said the film shifts from the origin of a single song to the broader realities of life that follow success. He said the story explores grief, fatherhood and spiritual growth as Millard confronts new personal struggles.

During the Feb. 15 question-and-answer session, McCorkle credited producer Cindy Bond for pushing the sequel forward.

“Cindy is the one who held on to this first movie for seven or eight years,” McCorkle said. “She believed in it, championed it and never gave up on it.”

After the first film’s commercial success, Bond encouraged the creative team to revisit Millard’s story. McCorkle said he initially felt hesitant about producing a sequel.

“I didn’t want to just do the same movie again,” he told the audience.

He agreed to meet with Millard to discuss whether there was more to explore.

“When we sat down and started talking, there was another movie there,” McCorkle said. “And she was right again, seven years later.”

The sequel carries the tagline, “Some stories deserve an encore,” reflecting the continuation of Millard’s journey.

Audience members fill a theater during a special early screening of I Can Only Imagine 2 at Cinemark Yuba City on Feb. 16. The event drew a sold-out crowd following filmmaker Brent McCorkle’s visit to the region. Photo courtesy of Greg Mansur

Adventure Church Pastor Greg Munsur attended the sequel’s premiere in Nashville and spoke during the Yuba City event. He said the new film moves beyond the origin of MercyMe’s hit song and focuses on experiences many viewers share.

“This next film is about the things that we all face and we all struggle with,” Munsur said. “To me, it’s a much more relatable film.”

McCorkle said he approached the project with caution, aware of audience fatigue around sequels. He said he avoided repeating the structure of the first film and worked to ensure the new story could stand independently.

“I wanted it to stand on its own two feet,” he said.

He also offered behind-the-scenes details about the production, including the return of Trace Adkins and the addition of Milo Ventimiglia, who portrays Christian artist Tim Timmons in the sequel.

“Trace is a sweetheart, a beautiful, kind soul,” McCorkle said, adding that he was impressed by the singer’s acting performance.

Of Ventimiglia, McCorkle noted the actor undertook extensive preparation despite not being a trained musician.

“He took like crazy guitar lessons and vocal lessons,” McCorkle said. “He’s a very committed actor to his craft.”

The weekend marked McCorkle’s first visit to Yuba City. He said he appreciated the turnout at both the church event and the Cinemark screening. He also shared a lighthearted observation about the region’s many chickens, which reminded him of his years farming and homesteading.

“I just wanted to take them in and adopt them,” he said, laughing. “Although there was one pretty full-of-himself rooster that kind of wanted to fight me.”

“I Can Only Imagine 2” opened nationwide Feb. 20 with an estimated $8 million domestic debut and received an A+ CinemaScore from audiences. Whether the sequel matches the long-term success of the original remains to be seen, but the sold-out screening in Yuba City reflected strong early interest.

McCorkle said he hopes the film encourages empathy and understanding at a time of division.

“Everybody’s looking at each other as the enemy right now,” he said. “If there’s something I can do that leads to more open-hearted living and being, I think we really need that.”