It’s one of the oldest stories ever told, but “The Chosen” is finding success with a very new approach to bringing the episodic Biblical epic to audiences. Originally available to stream on a dedicated app, “The Chosen” chose to premiere its third and fourth seasons in theaters via Fathom Entertainment — an unprecedented move for an entire season of television, in the case of season 4. But the unconventional strategy paid off handsomely, with Fathom grossing $72 million to date through the two “The Chosen” seasons, plus a Christmas feature. Now preparing to roll out the show’s fifth season, “The Chosen: Last Supper,” starting March 27, the specialty distributor is pulling out all the stops.

It’s a last rodeo too for Fathom. The fifth season will be the final one distributed by the company, as producers 5&2 Studios and global distributor Lionsgate recently made a deal for U.S. rights with Amazon...