Angel Studio’s new film Sound of Freedom featuring Passion of the Christ actor Jim Caviezel topped the box office on its Independence Day release.
The film tells the true story of Tim Ballard, a former Homeland Security agent who founded the anti-human trafficking nonprofit organization Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.).
The studio says that Ballard “as a Homeland Security agent … encountered bureaucratic challenges and limitations that hindered his ability to rescue victims effectively. Driven by his passion for justice and his personal encounters with the horrors of child trafficking, Tim made the decision to establish O.U.R.”
Angel Studios budgeted $14.5 million to make the film. On its July 4th release alone, the film grossed $14.2 million, more than any other movie currently showing in theaters.
Sound of Freedom even bested Walt Disney Studios’ most recent box office bomb, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Disney spent $300 million to produce the film (not including an additional $100 million in marketing and advertising) only to gross $11.7 million on Independence Day.
That’s despite the fact that Sound of Freedom is currently in 2,634 theaters while Indiana Jones is in 4,600 theaters.
Since it’s June 30th release date, Indiana Jones has grossed just $154 million worldwide. The film likely needs to gross at least $800 million for the Walt Disney Co. to break even, considering that production companies usually split profits equally with movie theaters.
The success that Sound of Freedom is already having should not be understated.
Jordan Harmon, co-owner of Angel Studios, told the Daily Signal that the film’s instant success “blew us away.”
“The early projects had Sound of Freedom at $10 million for the whole week, to do $14-plus million on opening day is wild,” Harmon said. “We’re thrilled to death, there’s a lot to do and there’s awareness to be brought to this incredible cause.”
You can watch the trailer for Sound of Freedom here:
Despite the innately heavy topic of Sound of Freedom, one recent viewer recounts her experience.
I really didn’t want to see this movie. Does anyone want to see a movie about horrific crimes against children and the systems that support or fail to stop child sex trafficking?
Despite my best efforts to be somewhere else, I found myself in the seat on July 4.
I still don’t quite understand how I left the theater feeling hopeful. … The power of art to move the human heart is very real, if hard to describe, even after experiencing it.
For Sound of Freedom – a movie about a heroic man combatting human trafficking – to best Indiana Jones is no small feat. Then again, Hollywood hasn’t made many great films recently.
Last year, the Walt Disney Co. released two films designed to influence young minds into accepting homosexuality – Lightyear and Strange World. Each film lost the company in excess of $100 million.
Will Hollywood ever learn?
Will it learn that Americans don’t want their entertainment chalk full of propaganda?
Will it learn that Americans do want content that edifies, compels, moves and inspires?
If it ever does, it will be because gripping movies like the Sound of Freedom make that clear.
Have you already seen Sound of Freedom? If not, are you making plans to do so?
If you want to learn more about the entertainment content your family is viewing, check out Focus on the Family’s free service Plugged In. The Plugged In team reviews movies, television shows, music, games, books and more. You can learn more about Plugged In here.
You can read Plugged In’s review of Sound of Freedom here.
Related articles and resources:
Heartbreaking Human Trafficking Statistics
Operation Underground Railroad
Photo from Angel Studios.
