Despite a bevy of negative articles from mainstream media outlets like Rolling Stone and Bloomberg News, the anti-child-trafficking movie “Sound of Freedom” has generated $100 million at the box office since it made its debut several weeks ago.
The low-budget film featuring actor Jim Caviezel is based on the life of Tim Ballard, the founder of Operation Underground Railroad, which is dedicated to rescuing kids from sex trafficking operations.
Now, according to Variety magazine, “Sound of Freedom” on Thursday became the first independent film to reach $100 million at the North American box office since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The film, which had a $14 million budget and was directed by Alejandro Monteverde, is the 16th highest-grossing movie so far in 2023.
As of Friday, the film has generated about $101 million since it made its debut on July 4, according to BoxOfficeMojo.
“‘Sound of Freedom’ has become the people’s movie,” Jared Geesey, with film distributor Angel Studios, told 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.”
At the same time, the film has generated very positive ratings among audience members, and film critics have also given it high marks. It’s received an A+ on CinemaScore and a 100 percent score on RottenTomatoes.
Variety chief film critic Owen Gleiberman said the film is 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.”
However, “Sound of Freedom” isn’t without detractors, including two viral articles published by Rolling Stone and Bloomberg, respectively, in recent days. In a Rolling Stone article, the author, Miles Klee, claimed the movie “foment[s] moral panic for years over this grossly exaggerated ‘epidemic’ of child sex-trafficking, much of it funneling people into conspiracist rabbit holes and QAnon communities.”
Those articles drew a significant backlash on social media, with users accusing both publications of trying to whitewash pedophilia and child trafficking.
