Angel Studios’ “Sound of Freedom,” a film that wrapped production five years ago before it became dust-laden sitting on the shelves at Disney, has now grossed $85 million, making it the official sleeper hit of summer.
Making its success even more significant, the indie smash released July Fourth was made from a paltry $14.5 million budget and played in fewer cinemas than current franchise films Tom Cruise’s “Mission Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One” and Harrison Ford’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.”
The weekend box office saw the crowd-funded indie gross another $24.7 million. On Sunday, it saw a rush in ticket sales when it made 27-plus percent more in one day than the previous week, according to Box Office Mojo.
That’s as summer blockbusters like “Dead Reckoning Part One” took in $80 million over an extended five-day opening (below its $100 million expectation), and in its third week, “Dial of Destiny” added $11 million to its domestic total of $145 million. Analysts say “Indy 5” won’t come close to making $500 million worldwide, which means the action movie won’t near its break-even mark at $800 million.
“While the entire summer movie box office lineup is underperforming, our small independent film continues to grow week over week. Driven by millions of fans and supporters, Sound of Freedom has become a national—and soon international—movement for change,” Jared Geesey, senior vice president of global distribution at Angel Studios, said in a statement.
Audiences Willing to Witness Heavy Subject Matter Amid Media Attacks
The film, which stars Jim Caviezel, addresses the difficult topic of child sex trafficking. The fact that it seems to have succeeded at getting audiences to examine that heavy subject matter during what is the traditional summer movie season full of big action blockbusters and laugh-out-loud comedies has proven particularly remarkable to critics and analysts.
Equally remarkable is the journey the film itself had to undergo to finally make it to audiences.
