The anti-sex trafficking thriller “Sound of Freedom” continues to perform well at the box office. After an impressive opening day — outperforming “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” and generating more than $14 million at the box office — “Sound of Freedom” is still going strong.
The Angel Studios movie earned the No. 3 spot during its first weekend on screen, raking in $18.2 million and coming ahead of Disney’s “Elemental” and “The Flash,” per Box Office Mojo. After six days in theaters, the film has made more than $40.2 million at the box office — making it an unexpected hit.
It’s currently showing in 2,850 theaters in North America, giving it a much smaller span than current No. 1 and No. 2 theater hits, “Insidious: The Red Door” and “Indiana Jones” which are playing in 3,188 theaters and 4,600 theaters, respectively, per Box Office Mojo.
“As with our July 4th numbers, today’s numbers exceed our expectations, and we’re going to continue this momentum. ‘Sound of Freedom’ has taken on a life of its own,” Brandon Purdie, head of Theatrical Distribution at Angel Studios, said in a press release shared with the Deseret News. “We’re getting messages from all over the country telling us about packed theaters, sold-out theaters, and spontaneous standing ovations for the film in numerous locations. Seeing this film has become a must thanks to incredible word-of-mouth.”
“We’re deeply grateful to AMC, Cinemark, Regal, and all our theater partners — and their hard-working theater staff members — for working with us to accommodate the surging demand for this film and having the courage to release ‘Sound of Freedom’ during the busiest movie season of the year,” Purdie added.
Previous films from Utah-based Angel Studios have not performed as well as “Sound of Freedom.” In March, Angel Studios released “His Only Son,” which made just over $12 million worldwide, per the Deseret News.
“Sound of Freedom” has generated mixed reviews from critics, but audiences seem to enjoy the film. It has generated a 100% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and an A+ on Cinemascore.
Hollywood tends to shy away from faith-based films, like “Sound of Freedom,” and those films have a reputation for suffering at the box office. In 2014, “The Identical” made just $2.8 million at the box office and “Persecuted,” also released in 2014, made $1.5 million, per Box Office Mojo.
But that trend could be changing. This year’s “Jesus Revolution” generated a $15.8 million debut and 2018’s family musical starring Dennis Quaid, “I Can Only Imagine,” debuted at $17.1 million.
“The strong response to faith-based films reflects a demand by an underserved audience who are hungry for entertainment that reflects their values and beliefs,” says Paul Dergarabedian, a senior Comscore analyst, per Variety. “Such content can indeed find an enthusiastic audience, generate solid box office and impressive profits for their investors.”
Elon Musk offers support for ‘Sound of Freedom’
Elon Musk is one of several conservative public figures who have openly expressed support for “Sound of Freedom.”
Musk, who owns Twitter, responded to a tweet promoting “Sound of Freedom” and suggested streaming the film on Twitter.
“I recommend putting it (‘Sound of Freedom’) on this platform for free for a brief period,” Musk wrote.
“That’s an interesting idea,” the film’s distributor responded. “Lets chat!”
What is ‘Sound of Freedom’ rated?
“Sound of Freedom” is rated PG-13. The movie is set around child sex trafficking. Although there is no graphic imagery, it is a dark theme. There is mild language use and some violence, including weapon use. Smoking and drinking is seen throughout.