“Sound of Freedom,” a faith-based film about child sex trafficking, is shaping up to be an unlikely box office hit.
Angel Studios, the streaming and distribution company behind the low-budget drama, claims that the film has generated more than $10 million in pre-sales ahead of its theatrical release on July 4. That’s an impressive number for a movie that isn’t relying on a glossy big studio marketing campaign. It’s also another sign of the buying power of religious moviegoers, who helped propel this spring’s “Jesus Revolution” to an improbable $53 million at the global box despite the fact that the biggest star in that movie was Kelsey Grammar.
“Sound of Freedom” will play in 2,600 locations. It is based on the true story of Tim Ballard (Jim Caviezel), a former U.S. government agent who quit his job to rescue children from global sex traffickers. Oscar-winner Mira Sorvino and Emmy-nominee Bill Camp co-star.
In a largely positive review, Variety‘s Owen Gleiberman wrote, “Let’s assume that, like me, you’re not a right-wing fundamentalist conspiracy theorist looking for a dark, faith-based suspense film to see over the holiday weekend. (The movie opens July 3.) Even then, you needn’t hold extreme beliefs to experience ‘Sound of Freedom’ as a compelling movie that shines an authentic light on one of the crucial criminal horrors of our time, one that Hollywood has mostly shied away from.” Other critics seemed to agree, giving “Sound of Freedom” an impressive 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Based out of Provo, Utah, Angel Studios uses crowd-funding to make its movies and shows — a previous project, “The Chosen,” raised more than $40 million from contributors and centers on the life of Jesus. Angel Studios emerged from the ashes of VidAngel, a streaming service that filtered objectionable content from movies before it was sued into bankruptcy by major Hollywood studios for copyright violations.