In a stunning coup on Independence Day, Angel Studios‘ “Sound of Freedom” conquered the box office, relegating Disney’s widely criticized “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” to the backseat. Notably, it achieved this feat while playing in nearly 2,000 fewer theaters than its Disney competitor, which had a towering budget of $295 million.
The film, featuring a gritty and captivating portrayal of real-life federal agent Tim Ballard by actor Jim Caviezel, received thunderous applause from both critics and audiences alike, raking in over $14 million in direct box office and “pay-it-forward” sales on the first day itself and now totaling over $40 million.
Tim Ballard’s riveting journey from a Homeland Security officer to the founder of Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R. Rescue), an organization single-mindedly devoted to rescuing children from the horrifying clutches of human trafficking, deeply resonated with viewers. A testament to the film’s immense popularity, it garnered a much-coveted A+ CinemaScore rating and an unprecedented 100% score on the revered film review aggregation site, Rotten Tomatoes.
Neal Harmon, the dynamic CEO of Angel Studios, attributed the film’s meteoric success to its unique crowdfunding approach and the groundbreaking “pay-it-forward” model. In an exuberant press release, Harmon announced, “Thanks to fans around the country, ‘Sound of Freedom’ earned the top spot as America’s number one movie on Independence Day.”
Expounding on the film’s success, he added, “This movie has now taken on a life of its own to become something more than that, a grassroots movement. With an A+ CinemaScore rating, we’re the top-rated movie in America, and we’re going to see word-of-mouth spread even further going into the weekend.”
Contrastingly, the latest installment of the Indiana Jones series failed to impress, facing widespread criticism from critics and fans who deemed it “weak,” “unfunny,” and distractingly “woke.”
‘Sound of Freedom,’ meanwhile, depicted a shocking reality of child trafficking through a hard-hitting narrative based on a real-life operation conducted by Ballard’s organization in 2014. The film served as a brutal exposé on the horrifying $150 billion-dollar global criminal enterprise of child trafficking.
In a conversation with Fox News Digital, Ballard expressed hope that the movie would act as a catalyst, inspiring viewers to join the cause to eliminate child trafficking. OUR Rescue President and COO, Matt Osborne, provided further insight into the film, stating, “What you see in the movie ‘Sound of Freedom’ was based on a real-life operation called ‘Triple Take.’ In October of 2014, we helped Colombian authorities and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security rescue 123 trafficking victims – 55 of those were minors.”
The success of ‘Sound of Freedom’ isn’t an isolated incident for Utah-based Angel Studios. Their previous ventures, such as the biblical drama “The Chosen,” and “His Only Son,” a film based on the Old Testament story of Abraham and Isaac, exceeded expectations, commanding significant fan bases and outperforming their modest budgets.
As ‘Sound of Freedom’ continues to ride high on its success, it serves as a powerful testament to the might of grassroots movements and novel film distribution models. Its phenomenal reception highlights the potential for compelling, truth-based narratives to compete with, and even surpass, big-budget franchise sequels.
With ‘Sound of Freedom,’ Angel Studios didn’t merely release a film; it sparked a movement, challenging conventional distribution norms with its innovative “pay-it-forward” technology. With a compelling narrative that’s winning hearts and a pioneering distribution model that’s capturing minds.
