Photo: Nitsan Simantov via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped. This adapted image is also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
The Game Changers is now the best-selling documentary of all time on iTunes, according to the team behind the film. It took them less than a week.
The plant-based sports documentary went on sale on iTunes on October 1 in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. That followed a one-day global theatrical event on September 16 in more than 1,000 cinemas worldwide. Before release it was already the number one pre-order of all films on iTunes.
The filmmakers announced:
The Game Changers is the best-selling documentary of ALL TIME on iTunes… and it took less than a week. Thank you to everyone who has watched the film and taken the time to share your excitement with us!
The film follows James Wilks, a former UFC fighter, elite special forces trainer and winner of The Ultimate Fighter, as he travels the world looking into meat, protein and strength. It's directed by Oscar winner Louie Psihoyos (The Cove), and the executive producers include James Cameron, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jackie Chan, Lewis Hamilton, Novak Djokovic and Chris Paul.
Along the way Wilks meets strongman Patrik Baboumian, Olympic weightlifter Kendrick Farris, ultramarathon legend Scott Jurek and Olympic cyclist Dotsie Bausch, plus a string of NFL players and doctors. As LIVEKINDLY reports, Wilks said:
Athletes are in touch with their bodies in a way many 'regular' people aren't. And so many of them tell us that they can feel animal foods increasing inflammation and slowing them down. It's pretty cool to hear these so many athletic men and women backing up the science with their own personal experiences.
He added: "Seeing through the myths about meat, protein, and strength gives us a tremendous amount of leverage, not only for our own performance and health but also to help the planet we live on."
If you haven't seen it yet, The Game Changers lands on Netflix on October 16. Watch it with your gym buddy. Then watch their face.
The science is right there with the athletes. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found plant protein builds muscle just as well as animal protein, and research in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found plant protein is significantly more heart-healthy.
We called The Game Changers the most important movie of 2018 when we first saw it. It features athletes we've followed for years, from Patrik Baboumian to Kendrick Farris, the only male US weightlifter at the Rio Olympics, and executive producer Arnold Schwarzenegger, who told us he was getting off meat back in 2016. It's the biggest vegan documentary since What The Health hit Netflix.
The 'weak vegan' stereotype is dead and buried. Pass the popcorn.