Sound of Freedom took the box office by storm on the Fourth of July, claiming the No. 1 spot ahead of Disney’s latest Indiana Jones film.
The independent film, distributed by Angel Studios, brought in $14.2 million, compared to Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which garnered nearly $11.7 million.
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“This movie has now taken on a life of its own to become something more than that, a grassroots movement,” Angel Studios CEO Neal Harmon told the Washington Examiner. “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. The world needs to see Sound of Freedom, and we know that our biggest competitive advantage — our incredible fans and investors — are going to make sure that happens.”
Sound of Freedom details the true story of how Tim Ballard, a former federal agent with Homeland Security, quit his job and risked his life to journey into the jungles of Colombia in an effort to save children from sex slavery.
Ballard’s character is played by Jim Caviezel, who is perhaps best known for his role in The Passion of the Christ. In reacting to the film’s theatrical release success, Caviezel told the Ingraham Angle that it was never about beating Disney.
“This isn’t about them. It’s not about Angel Studios putting it out. It’s about the children,” Caviezel said. “And Americans waking up right now. And the only way these [child trafficking] laws are going to be changed is that if the people move right now to save them.
“This is a good versus evil story. This is a battle hero story, and I was very blessed that I got the opportunity, just as I was blessed to do The Passion of the Christ. And this is the best film I’ve done since that film,” he added. “It is a controversial issue. It shouldn’t be. We should be just naturally wanting to save our children but again there’s those out there that want to exploit them.”
Harmon told the Washington Examiner that Sound of Freedom’s theatrical release comes more than five years after the film’s completion.
“Initially made with [21st Century] Fox, after it was completed Fox was acquired by Disney who said, ‘We can’t release this film,’” Harmon explained. “Eduardo [Verástegui, the film’s producer,] spent over a year before [Disney] released the rights to the film. At that time, he tried to take it to theaters but just as they were, COVID hit and another three years past.”
In response to the film’s distribution journey, Caviezel called on people to focus on the film’s message and respond to it.
“We are not Disney’s film. We are the people’s film. Can we love our children? Can we love God’s children more than we fear evil? That’s the challenge here and Americans are up to it and I love it. They hear the sound of freedom because God’s children are no longer for sale.”
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The film also features Academy Award winner Mira Sorvino from Mighty Aphrodite and Bill Camp from 12 Years a Slave. The film was produced by Eduardo Verástegui and was written and directed by Alejandro Monteverde.
Sound of Freedom opened in 2,634 theaters on July 4 and sold more than $10 million in ticket presales.
