Back in 2018, I Can Only Imagine became a huge box office surprise, inspiring audiences much in the same way as the MercyMe song of the same name that the film was based on. It not only became one of the most successful faith-based films of all time, but one of the highest-grossing music biopics as well. However, that’s not where Bart Millard’s story ended, and critics are weighing in on I Can Only Imagine 2 as it hits the 2026 movie release calendar.
Much of the original cast returns for I Can Only Imagine 2, including John Michael Finley, Trace Adkins and Dennis Quaid. Milo Ventimiglia joins the group as singer-songwriter Tim Timmons. The sequel sees the creation of another MercyMe hit as the band faces health issues, parenting struggles and trauma. Mike Laxton of Today’s Christian Entertainment praises the sequel for portraying the band in a “new season of influence, responsibility, and growth.” His review of I Can Only Imagine 2 reads:
I Can Only Imagine 2 succeeds because it doesn’t try to recreate the emotional beats of the first film. Instead, it tells the harder story—the one that comes after healing, after breakthrough, after the song everyone knows. It’s about parenting, friendship, illness, calling, and perseverance. It’s about discovering that faith isn’t proven in the moment that changes your life, but in the thousands of ordinary and painful moments that follow. For viewers who connected with the original, this sequel invites them deeper.
Pete Hammond of Deadline says Milo Ventimiglia is “completely authentic” here, while Trace Adkins provides much-needed humor and Sammy Dell is perfectly cast as Bart’s son Sam Millard. This film is definitely marketed toward Christians, but its messages of hope and love feel welcome and necessary for everyone in these dark times, Hammond says, writing:
As with many movies in the faith genre, there is lots of talk about the power of God and prayer in getting through this thing we call life. But, like the first film, all the trials and heartache seem to work without preaching to the choir just like a country song — or in this case a Christian song. Finley does well returning to his signature role but plays it a bit too glum too much of the time due to the circumstances he finds himself in with Sam and Tim, among other worries. It is Ventimiglia who steals the film lock, stock and barrel as the affable and relatable Timmons.
Kelsey Kramer McGinnis of Christianity Today says I Can Only Imagine 2 had the opportunity to explore what it’s like for musicians after writing a megahit, knowing they may never again produce anything that reaches the same level of acclaim. For Christian artists, that’s even trickier as they balance material success with their faith. Instead, this movie leans on the same tropes as other movies about religion, as well as audiences’ enduring love for the song “I Can Only Imagine.” The critic writes:
I Can Only Imagine 2 sidesteps that trickier territory in favor of perhaps more universally relatable plot points: Sam’s struggle with diabetes, his dream of becoming a musician (real-life Sam is now a musician who performs as Sam Wesley), the challenge of parenting adolescents and young adults while also dealing with your own trauma, Timmons’s cancer, and his wife’s pregnancy. The film’s numerous mini sermons might deliver what many viewers are looking for in an inspirational faith-based movie. The characters are also generally likeable.
Frank Scheck of THR says the upcoming music biopic struggles to find a compelling narrative, choosing to retread the trauma Bart experienced with his father. Also, with Sam being old enough to be responsible for his own health, his diabetes crisis plot also fails to evoke much sympathy from audience members, Scheck says, continuing:
Laborious and dull, I Can Only Imagine 2 only comes to life in the comedic scenes featuring Ventimiglia, who buries his handsomeness in a buzz-cut, full beard, and Buddy Holly-style glasses to resemble Timmons. Trace Adkins, repeating his role as the band’s sardonic manager who gives such advice as ‘If you’re gonna be a bear, be a grizzly,’ is also terrific. But their efforts are not enough to save this unnecessary sequel that smacks of a cash grab.
Alonso Duralde of The Film Verdict says directors Andrew Erwin and Brent McCorkle find themselves in the same bind as their movie’s protagonist in trying to figure out how to move forward after a big hit. In the end they fail to rekindle the heartfelt musical drama of the first movie, making the sequel feel unnecessary. Duralde writes:
I Can Only Imagine 2 is a Marvel movie for Evangelicals, but not in a good way: it rehashes the emotional beats of its predecessor to sell audiences an exercise in diminished results. With its reliance on familiar tropes and story clichés, it’s a movie that, even if you haven’t seen it yet, you can probably imagine.
If you're a fan of MercyMe or just think this sounds like a good way to spend a couple of hours, I Can Only Imagine hits theaters on Friday, February 20.
