By Richard Provost
The independent film industry is captivated by the surprising anomaly Sound of Freedom, a non-major-studio production with faith-based undertones. Initial predictions indicated that the film would gross $11 million to $15 million over six days, but it has already surpassed those projections. In fact, rumors suggest that the movie might even reach $20 million in its first six days.
Adding to its success, Sound of Freedom received an A+ CinemaScore, and is sitting at 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. While that’s only based on 16 reviews, more reviews are coming in. And they’re getting more impressive.
In their review of the film, Owen Glieberman of Variety said, “Let’s assume that, like me, you’re not a right-wing fundamentalist conspiracy theorist looking for a dark, faith-based suspense film… 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.”
Angel Studios, the Provo-headquartered distributor behind the movie, has adopted an innovative crowdfunding platform called Pay It Forward to boost ticket sales. This patent-pending technology empowers moviegoers to purchase tickets for others, creating a unique and engaging communal experience. Angel Studios previously used this platform for the release of His Only Son in March, a film centered around the prophet Abraham. His Only Son earned $5.5 million on its opening weekend and ultimately grossed $12 million in the United States against a budget of only $250,000.
Angel Studios recently announced that crowdfunding efforts for Sound of Freedom have raised an additional $2.6 million, bringing the total gross to $14 million. Earlier reports indicated that presales through crowdfunding had reached $10 million for the movie, which depicts the true story of Tim Ballard, a homeland security officer who personally took on the mission of rescuing abducted children worldwide.
Comparable films to Sound of Freedom include other faith-based titles based on true stories. However, Sound of Freedom is surpassing the performance of these films as well. Notable examples include Soul Surfer from 2011, which opened with $3.6 million on its first Friday, $10.6 million in its first three days, and ultimately grossed $43.8 million. Similarly, Fireproof from 2008 opened with $6.8 million over three days and reached a total domestic gross of over $33 million.
In a separate development, Disney’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny had an unexpectedly strong July 4th (typically not a peak moviegoing day) with only a 3% decline from Monday’s earnings of $11.8 million. As a result, the film has amassed $83.6 million over its five-day run. If Dial of Destiny follows the trend of other films targeting an older male audience, like No Time to Die, it might experience a 57% to 60% decline and earn approximately $24 million to $25 million in the upcoming weekend. Many industry analysts are already considering Dial of Destiny (which had a budget of $300 million) a box office bomb.
We’re certainly living in strange times. Few would’ve predicted that an indie movie studio from Provo, Utah would one day produce a film more profitable than an Indiana Jones movie – by a margin of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Sound of Freedom is in theaters now.
Provo Tribune: Local News for the Provo/Orem Area 