An independent dramatic thriller film is competing against big-studio blockbusters this summer. Sound of Freedom has already earned more than double its budget since its release on Tuesday. The faith-based movie led by director and co-writer Alejandro Monteverde has made $40 million since the Fourth of July, right behind Insidious: The Red Door and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Sound of Freedom’s distributor Angel Studios crowdfunded its marketing for the movie from the public and previous investors, even creating a “Pay It Forward” campaign where people can donate tickets to those who cannot afford to see the film in theaters. However, this isn’t Angel Studios’ only box-office hit this year: His Only Son came in fourth behind Dungeons and Dragons, John Wick 4, and Scream VI at the box office in April 2023. But how did the studio come up with another film that competed against Hollywood franchises over a holiday weekend?
What is the film about?
Inspired by true events, the film follows Operation Underground Railroad’s Tim Ballard (played by Passion of the Christ’s Jim Caviezel), a special agent for Homeland Security Investigations who catches child predators online in the United States. He saves a child named Miguel from being exploited by human trafficking, only to find out he has a sister, Rocio, who is still being enslaved. He finds himself in Colombia and forms a team with the U.S. embassy and local police to save Rocio and other children from being trafficked.
Who’s behind Sound of Freedom?
Bella and Little Boy director Monteverde co-wrote the film alongside frequent collaborator Rod Barr. The movie was filmed in 2018 and was originally set to be released in 2020 through 20th Century Fox. However, after Disney purchased 20th Century Fox, the new distributor reportedly shelved the film until Angel Studios, the same studio that created Netflix’s The Chosen One, acquired worldwide distribution rights in March 2023, the same month it launched its theatrical division. A few months later, the studio fundraised $5 million in two weeks from a mix of public support and investors to help distribute the film.
Why are people bringing up QAnon?
While the film has no mention of QAnon conspiracy theories and Angel Studios executive Jared Geesey said anyone promoting those theories had not seen the film, Caviezel and Ballard’s connection to the group sparked controversy amid its box-office success. The Daily Beast reported that Caviezel spoke at a QAnon convention in Las Vegas and a QAnon-affiliated conference in Oklahoma in 2021 and specifically addressed the adrenochrome theory when discussing the film at the panel. Ballard has called the support against child trafficking from the group a mixed blessing. “Some of these theories have allowed people to open their eyes,” Ballard said to the New York Times in 2020. “So now it’s our job to flood the space with real information so the facts can be shared.”
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Sound of Freedom Earns $40 Million at the Box OfficencG1vNJzZmivp6x7t8HLrayrnV6YvK57wKuropucmny0u9Snm2anlmKzs7HEnaamZZ2kw6qxjK2fnmWSpMVuu8WfoJydXp3Brrg%3D