{"id":461602,"date":"2026-02-06T05:24:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T05:24:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/461602\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T05:24:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T05:24:08","slug":"time-hoppers-becomes-first-muslim-made-animated-film-in-theaters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/461602\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Time Hoppers’ Becomes First Muslim-Made Animated Film in Theaters"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tSix years ago, a low-quality web animation on Muslim Kids TV sparked an idea that would become \u201cTime Hoppers: The Silk Road<\/a>,\u201d the first theatrically released animated feature made by and for the Muslim community.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe film opens Feb. 7 in over 660 U.S. theaters, marking a milestone for family entertainment and grassroots productions, demonstrating that independent animation can still draw audiences at a time when theatrical releases for the genre face significant challenges.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe animated feature follows four gifted children from the year 2050 who discover the ability to time travel and must protect history\u2019s greatest scientists from an evil alchemist threatening the future of modern science along the ancient Silk Road.<\/p>\n

\n\tGabriel Milo, COO of Milo Productions, said the time-travel concept, in which children meet historical figures, first gained traction as a mobile game funded through Canadian production grants. Within three months, it surpassed 100,000 downloads, signaling strong demand for Muslim-centered content.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cFor the first time, Muslim children will be able to see themselves reflected on the big screen,\u201d Milo said. \u201cThat was something we saw was missing, and we saw a real market opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tEven as the industry trends away from theatrical releases, the filmmakers believed their audience craved a communal viewing experience. Early social media engagement reinforced that instinct, with requests pouring in from communities around the world.<\/p>\n

\n\tRather than rely on celebrity endorsements, the marketing strategy emphasized what Milo called \u201ccommunity credibility over celebrity.\u201d Community leaders, educators and religious scholars were cast in voice roles, including the character Dean Hafsa. That trust-based approach extended to a nationwide network of volunteer \u201clocal champions,\u201d who used promotional toolkits to drive ticket sales in their regions.<\/p>\n

\n\tShannah Miller, vice president of marketing at distributor Fathom Entertainment<\/a>, recognized the model\u2019s potential early on. Fathom, which handles roughly 100 specialty releases each year, saw \u201cTime Hoppers\u201d as an opportunity to expand beyond its core faith-based audience, which accounted for nearly half of the company\u2019s revenue last year.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThis was a first,\u201d Miller said. \u201cThe content was created by the Muslim community for the Muslim community, and it felt authentic, while still being accessible to a broader audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe partnership between Milo Productions and Fathom proved critical to the film\u2019s rollout. Milo provided data on community demographics and priority markets, while Fathom leveraged its exhibitor relationships to expand bookings and add showtimes as demand grew \u2014 sometimes within hours.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe\u2019d email Fathom, and within an hour the tickets were live,\u201d Milo said.<\/p>\n

\n\tOriginally scheduled at 516 locations for Feb. 7-8, exhibitor demand quickly pushed the release past 660 theaters, with pre-sales outpacing expectations. More than 35,000 tickets have been sold \u2014 nearly $500,000 in revenue \u2014 with the majority of purchases still expected in the final days before release.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe\u2019re up more than 35% in pre-sales since Monday,\u201d Miller said. \u201cAnd historically, 70% of tickets sell in the last 72 to 48 hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFor a one-day event built around new IP and an underserved audience, the film\u2019s performance is notable. Its \u201cedutainment\u201d approach is designed to spark curiosity rather than deliver formal lessons, supported by companion workbooks and coloring books developed with historians.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cOur goal is intrigue,\u201d Milo said. \u201cWe want kids to ask questions and want to learn more.\u201d Beyond box office numbers, the release reflects the potential for original stories from underrepresented communities to connect with audiences, even as Hollywood relies heavily on established IP.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cUnderserved audiences will show up,\u201d Milo said. \u201cThey\u2019ll show up for authentic voices that represent them.\u201d While rooted in Muslim history and culture, the film\u2019s broader themes of education, curiosity and pride in heritage have encouraged the community to welcome wider audiences. Fathom supported that outreach with targeted trailer placement and partnerships with exhibitors, including educational tie-ins for school groups.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe model is already translating overseas. In Canada, bookings grew from 15 to nearly 40 Landmark Cinemas locations, covering more than 90% of the exhibitor\u2019s footprint. As \u201cTime Hoppers: The Silk Road\u201d heads into theaters, it arrives amid a rising appetite for animation and stories outside traditional studio formulas. For Milo and Miller, the takeaway is clear: there\u2019s an audience eager for representation, and when approached authentically, they\u2019ll turn out in force.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThis is genuine support,\u201d Miller said. \u201cPeople are excited to see themselves on screen, and that\u2019s powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Six years ago, a low-quality web animation on Muslim Kids TV sparked an idea that would become \u201cTime…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":461603,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[64,63,134,223703,344,237055],"class_list":["post-461602","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-entertainment","tag-fathom-entertainment","tag-movies","tag-time-hoppers-the-silk-road"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/461602","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=461602"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/461602\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/461603"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=461602"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=461602"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=461602"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}