Sound of Freedom is continuing to surprise industry analysts with its strong performance at the box office, having just crossed the $100 million mark in North America, some three weeks after its release.
While all eyes are on the simultaneous release of anticipated blockbusters Barbie and Oppenheimer—in a showdown playfully dubbed "Barbenheimer"—low-budget, faith-based Sound of Freedom has been an unexpected force to be reckoned with.
The antithesis of the typical summer hit that keeps audiences on the edge of their seats through high-octane action, or belly-laughing their way through a star-studded comedy, thriller Sound of Freedom tackles tough subject matter.
The movie is based on the life of former Homeland Security special agent Tim Ballard (played by Jim Caviezel). The plotline follows Ballard as he sets up Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.), an anti-child-trafficking organization. Mira Sorvino and Bill Camp are also among the film's stars.
Released on the Fourth of July, the film opened to positive audience figures, beating Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny at the box office. Eduardo Verástegui-directed Sound of Freedom made $14,242,063 on its first day in theaters, while the new Indiana Jones movie made $11,698,989 domestically.
Distributed by Utah-based Angel Studios, Sound of Freedom is also the first post-pandemic independent movie to pass the $100 million milestone domestically. While last year's Oscar-winning critical and commercial hit Everything Everywhere All at Once sprinted across the $100 million line, $63 million of that income came from the international box office. Remarkably, Sound of Freedom has achieved its success without being released outside of North America.
"Unusual and unexpected box office stories abound this summer with Sound of Freedom ranking behind only 'Barbenheimer' as one of the most notable stories of the season," Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian told Newsweek.
"The film has added welcome box office dollars that weren't even on the radar a couple of weeks ago and that's great for the bottom line," Dergarabedian added.
To date, Sound of Freedom stands as the 16th-highest grossing film released in North America this year. Judging by its current performance, it could easily climb the list, as 15th-placed The Flash has earned $107 million since its June 16 release, while Scream VI, which came out on March 10, has pulled in $108 million.
'The People's Movie'
So what has pushed Sound of Freedom toward its unexpected success? The partially crowdfunded project has won the strong support of religious and conservative groups. Angel Studios' unconventional promotional efforts have also included use of an app called Pay It Forward, with which patrons can donate tickets to others.
"Sound of Freedom has become the people's movie," said Jared Geesey, senior vice-president of global distribution at Angel Studios, per Variety. "This is the opposite of the top down system developed by Hollywood gatekeepers. We are empowering people to be part of choosing, funding, and sharing stories that amplify light and impact culture."
Analyst Dergarabedian has echoed that sentiment, adding that, while being a faith-based film, it has the benefit of appealing to a cross-section of consumers.
"The stamp of approval by the faith community has certainly played a role in the film's success, but the film itself is not overtly religious in nature and boasts known stars and a 'based on true events' hook," Dergarabedian told Newsweek. "So it's benefited from a perfect storm of factors that has made it an unexpected summer hit."
It also has high-profile backing. Former President Donald Trump this week branded the film "incredible," following a special screening he held at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
After calling lead star Caviezel's performance "unbelievable," Trump said of the film on Wednesday night: "It's something that I'm not sure if you're supposed to enjoy or learn, it's a combination, but that was a great movie. Now I understand why it's doing so well.
"It's setting records by the way, it's beating the biggest movies out there, they have some of the big summer blockbusters and this is knocking the socks off of them. So that's pretty good."
In a statement ahead of the screening, Trump criticized media outlets like Rolling Stone, The Washington Post, CNN and The Guardian that have "trashed the film and mocked the millions of movie-goers who purchased tickets to screenings," as well as others who have refused to review it.
QAnon Accusations
Amid the film's continued success, there has been some controversy. The movie has been accused of pandering to supporters of QAnon, the radical conspiracy theory group that asserted Trump would expose a secret cabal of high-profile satanic child abusers as president, and then order their arrest and executions.
Both Caviezel, best known for playing Jesus in Mel Gibson's 2004 movie The Passion of the Christ, and Ballard have dismissed accusations that Sound of Freedom is trying to appeal to QAnon supporters.
"Where's the QAnon doctrine being spewed in the film and in the script?" Ballard asked during an appearance on Fox & Friends. "I have no idea because this is actually what it looks like. This is what happened. I was there, and several others were there to confirm, so this is just some other agenda."
Caviezel, who has long been accused of being a QAnon advocate and who spoke at a QAnon convention in 2021, said that he wasn't aware of the conspiracy theory movement while filming Sound of Freedom in 2018.
"It has nothing to do with our film," Caviezel said, during a July 11 episode of The Charlie Kirk Show. "But it's really interesting that they pointed to this immediately and said 'That guy's one of them, he's bad.'"
Claims of Suppression
Meanwhile, multiple videos have gone viral across social media over the past several days, suggesting viewers are being forced out of seeing Sound of Freedom at AMC Theatres and Regal Cinemas venues via different means. One TikTok user said her theater was evacuated without explanation, while another said the air conditioning was broken in their screening, making it "unbearably hot."
In a trio of Twitter posts, Adam Aron, CEO of AMC Theatres, shut down rumors that his chain was in any way "suppressing" the release of Sound of Freedom.
"Sadly, conspiracy theorists are so prevalent in America," he wrote on the platform last week. "So much garbage information is spread. More than ONE MILLION people have watched Sound of Freedom at AMC Theatres. More than at any other theater chain on the planet. Yet people falsely claim otherwise. It is so bizarre."
The team behind Sound of Freedom has also rejected allegations that the movie theater chain is sabotaging people's attempts to view the popular film.
Responding to Newsweek's request for comment, a spokesperson for Angel Studios absolved AMC Theatres of blame for any alleged problems.
"Our theatrical partners at AMC, CineMark, Regal, and beyond have been absolutely wonderful to work with—they're helping us add theaters as we speak in the middle the busy summer movie season," Matthew Faraci of Angel Studios told Newsweek.
Newsweek has contacted representatives of AMC Theaters and Regal Cinemas via email for comment.
