Sound Of Freedom, The Surprise Hit Of The Summer, Leaves A Messy String Of Questions In Its Wake
It's been a bit of a mixed summer at the box office. We've had insanely high highs, as we did recently with the much-hyped showdown between "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer," but we've also had incredibly low lows, such as "The Flash" crashing and burning in brutal fashion after years of being stuck in development hell. Amidst all of this, one film that hardly registered in the mainstream consciousness prior to its release has managed to become the surprise success story of the year.
The faith-based "Sound of Freedom," released earlier this month by Angel Studios, has been on an absolute tear and stands a real shot at becoming one of the 10 biggest domestic earners at the box office in 2023. An international release is pending as well. That, on paper, is great for theaters. But the film has raised a great many questions in the aftermath of its blindsiding success. From links to the conspiracy group QAnon to accusations from moviegoers that AMC Theatres was trying to suppress the film, the tale of this movie beyond the screen has been more intriguing — not to mention more troubling — than the movie itself.
So, how is it that a movie that was hardly on anyone's radar a handful of weeks ago has amassed more than $131 million (and counting) at the domestic box office to date, eclipsing the grosses of "The Flash," "Scream VI," and as of now, "Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One"? And what of the accusations that have been made against the film and those releasing it? Over the past several weeks, I've attempted to get to the bottom of everything, from allegedly empty sold-out screenings to the legitimacy of those impressive ticket sales.
What I found was a truth that, as is so often the case, lies somewhere in the middle.
A lightning rod for controversy
"Sound of Freedom" was originally made around five years ago and, prior to the pandemic, it was to be distributed by Disney's 20th Century Studios. But Disney shelved director Alejandro Gómez Monteverde's film and it sat unreleased for quite some time, until Angel Studios managed to secure the rights. Interestingly, Netflix and Amazon both passed on releasing it, according to producer Eduardo Verástegui. But the theatrical release has proven to be remarkably lucrative. Or so it would seem. More on that in a minute.
"Sound of Freedom" is based on the real-life exploits of anti-human trafficking activist Tim Ballard, who has dedicated much of his life to putting pedophiles in prison while saving children from sex trafficking. The movie focuses on a federal agent (played by "Passion of the Christ" star Jim Caviezel) who learns that a rescued boy's sister is still being held captive and decides to embark on a dangerous mission to save her.
Many media outlets had harsh things to say about the film, with Rolling Stone calling it a "superhero movie for dads with brainworms." The Guardian, meanwhile, labeled it as "The QAnon-adjacent thriller seducing America." Perhaps not surprisingly, conservatives and right-leaning media have embraced the film in a big way, with Fox News recently running the headline "The movie the media tried to kill is still going strong." It's been messy, to say the least.
The Guardian probably had it closest to right, in my estimation. The movie itself doesn't peddle any conspiracy theories, really, as it was written and produced before QAnon became well-known in the mainstream. It's a pretty straightforward thriller about child trafficking that is absolutely uncomfortable but, divorced of any real-world circumstances, causes no harm. The trouble is that we all live in the real world, and there are real issues at play here.
Paying it forward at the box office
Setting aside the people behind the movie for a moment, let's talk about its unconventional path to financial success. Much has been made of the "Pay it Forward" program that Angel Studios launched to help goose ticket sales. On the surface, it seems like a positive thing, as the idea is to buy a ticket for someone who would otherwise be unable to afford to go. The initiative blew up and, as of this article's publication, Angel's website says more than 12.2 million tickets have been paid for. There is, however, no word on how many of those tickets have been actually claimed by moviegoers.
The minimum donation amount is $15, which covers one ticket. It goes up in $15 increments per person from there. Using that math, Angel has raised well over $180 million for tickets, which would account for more than the entirety of the box office total up to this point. What will be done with any leftover money? The company's website has an answer to that:
"If there are any funds remaining after the theatrical run, they will be used to pay for streaming Sound of Freedom in the Angel Studios app. Remaining funds from Pay it Forward may also be used to help the filmmaker create additional content."
What remains unclear is what percentage of the total box office has been covered by Pay it Forward tickets. Angel has not been transparent about those numbers. A spokesperson for Angel Studios told us, "We are confident that the Pay it Forward for tickets will be completely used for tickets throughout the world by the end of the theatrical release." If that is indeed true, there are tens of millions of dollars worth of tickets that still need to be claimed. The company's website also states directly that Pay it Forward contributions are non-refundable.
Well-meaning movie, problematic real-world people
So, how is it that this thriller became associated with QAnon? For one, that conspiracy group is centered around the idea that there are secret child sex trafficking groups around the world tied to the global elite who harvest children to obtain a substance called adrenochrome that they believe has life-giving properties. The group's ideals are not directly peddled in the film itself, but we're dealing with adjacent subject matter. What has garnered a lot of attention is Ballard and Caviezel's potential ties to QAnon. As we previously reported, both the subject of the film and the actor have touted QAnon conspiracy theories.
Caviezel has continued to spout such conspiracies during the press tour. On an episode of Steve Bannon's podcast, the actor spoke about adrenochrome saying "It's an elite drug that they've used for many years," while also falsely claiming that it's "10 times more potent than heroin."
Ballard, meanwhile, is the founder of a non-profit group called Operation Underground Railroad (OUR) dedicated to ending child sex trafficking. However, Ballard recently "stepped away" from the group prior to the film's release. That may or may not have something to do with the fact that Ballard has echoed QAnon-like conspiracy theories as well, such as the company Wayfair selling children, or that he recently raided a West African "baby factory." Though, in an interview with Fox News, Ballard claimed he still doesn't know what QAnon is.
"The film was made, produced, written like five, six years ago, way before anyone heard the name QAnon. I still don't even know what QAnon is. In the meantime, they're trying to connect it to some conspiracy when, like I said, this is a true story," Ballard said. In that same interview, he said that those on the political left don't "want to have the discussion that this film is going to compel." Again, this seems to echo QAnon's theories that liberal elites are somehow behind child sex trafficking.
The political right embraces Sound of Freedom
Perhaps not surprisingly, the film has been widely embraced by those on the political right. Former President Donald Trump, who is facing his third criminal indictment since leaving office, recently held a screening that was attended by both Caviezel and Ballard. Similarly, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy recently held a screening for members of Congress as well, again, with Caviezel and Ballard in attendance.
Meanwhile, right-wingers and conspiracy theorists are embracing the film on social media. "The movie is about child trafficking, and many people in Hollywood and the media are 'benefiting' from child trafficking," one comment on Reddit reads. Comment sections all across the internet are filled with similar talk. Early in the film's run, many touted a conspiracy theory that AMC Theatres was trying to keep people from seeing the film, with videos on social media linking technical problems to this theory. Angel Studios personally debunked this theory. The studio's head of theatrical distribution Brandon Purdie said in a statement (via Variety):
"We understand there are rumors — predominantly in social media — that AMC theaters have made it difficult for fans to see 'Sound of Freedom' in local AMC theaters, and we want to make it clear these rumors are not accurate. AMC has been an outstanding partner for Angel Studios."
Another allegation was that supposedly sold-out showings of the film were being wildly unattended. Again, videos on social media showcased empty theaters while tens of millions were being added to the ever-growing box office total. Are these ticket sales inflated? Has the movie been playing to mostly empty theaters across the country? I decided to see what was happening first-hand, as best I could.
The mystery of the empty seats, firsthand
I went through the Pay it Forward ticketing system to catch a showing at my local AMC. The process was remarkably simple and, in a few clicks, I had a free ticket to the film that was processed through Atom Tickets. I just put in a code that was given to me at checkout and the ticket was free. The showing was in the late afternoon on a Thursday before most people were even off of work. Yet, 30 tickets had been sold, representing most of the seats in the theater.
When I first arrived, it was admittedly sparse. Even when the lights went down and the trailers began playing, there were only a handful of moviegoers in their seats. But as the trailers rolled on, people quickly poured in. By the time the screening actually began, my count was 27 of the 30 people there. Far from empty. Granted, this is but one showing in one theater in a big country, but it's worth pointing out just how late a lot of the customers glided in. Many of the videos circulating online appear to show these theaters before the trailers began playing. Perhaps these screenings, similarly, had people showing up at the last possible second.
Beyond my personal experience, a spokesperson for a major exhibitor in the U.S., who requested not to be named, told me that they had seen no evidence of this empty theater phenomenon that permeated social media. The number of patrons who didn't show up for screenings was more or less in line with what the exhibitor experienced with other films. AMC CEO Adam Aron also addressed the whole thing on Twitter on July 12, saying the following:
"Sadly, conspiracy theorists are so prevalent in America. So much garbage information is spread. More than ONE MILLION people have watched Sound of Freedom at AMC Theatres. More than at any other theatre chain on the planet. Yet people falsely claim otherwise. It is so bizarre."
The legitimacy of the box office total
It is, indeed, bizarre. One thing that seems certain is that the box office numbers for "Sound of Freedom" do appear to be legitimate, insofar as all of those tickets have been paid for by someone. Does that mean every single person showed up for every screening? No, it does not. There's also the point that, in essence, millions of people have the opportunity to see a free movie with no strings attached. That's not exactly the same thing as deciding to go to the theater to spend hard-earned money to see "Fast X," for example.
Screenwriter C. Robert Cargill ("Doctor Strange," "The Black Phone") shared some thoughts on the matter on Twitter calling it "a culture war grift," before adding, "They get churches to donate up to $10k as part of their Pay-it-Forward initiative. Those tickets are considered a charitable donation, the seats are given away (or not), and the donations goose the box office." Angel Studios does not disclose who is making the donations, so it's impossible to verify how many churches have purchased tickets, and what amount they have purchased. In the same thread, Cargill articulated how this movie's admittedly impressive box office total differs from the average movie:
"This isn't about the film but the accounting. If a dad buys 300 boxes of his daughter's Girl Scout cookies, she indeed sold 300 boxes. But then bragging that other people should buy them because she's so good at this that she sold 300 boxes is leaving out important info."
Lots of money, lots of questions
A certified public accountant with over 25 years of experience explained to me that, because Angel Studios is a for-profit company, any tickets purchased would not be tax deductible. The company even says on its website that they are "a for-profit entity and so we cannot accept tax-deductible contributions."
Churches, on the other hand, typically don't pay taxes. They don't have to justify the money to anyone other than those within the church. However, they might have to explain the money to those who gave them the cash in the first place, if they received a grant or something along those lines. Businesses, meanwhile, could potentially write off purchasing tickets as a business expense, if they felt the expense was justified. Say, if the company wanted everyone in the office to see the film. Angel Studios, meanwhile, will have to report the income on its taxes as this is all for profit.
Studios tend to keep about half of the money from ticket sales and the $15 minimum donation means these are full-priced tickets. So this Pay it Forward program is, at the end of the day, designed to bring big profits to Angel Studios and those behind the film. And they are truly leaning into the program, with Caviezel appearing at the end of the film to encourage people to purchase Pay it Forward tickets so that more people can see it. Anyone receiving backend from the film's profits is likely thankful Caviezel's message is getting through.
The truths of it all
In the end, the widespread conspiracy theories surrounding the film mostly appear to be untrue. AMC is not suppressing a box office hit at a time when movie theaters desperately need hits. Nor would most other theater chains likely shoo away easy money. At the same time, people are certainly showing up to see the film. Maybe there are empty theaters, but there are very full ones as well. Alejandro Gómez Monteverde made a straightforward film about sex trafficking loosely based on true events. That film has problematic people at its center, saying problematic things in the real world, and it's giving them a platform. That's not ideal.
Problematic people are embracing the film widely. Also not ideal. Does that mean "Sound of Freedom" is a movie pushing the false QAnon agenda? It does not. The film became a lightning rod for bigger issues in the real world, and people with political agendas have weaponized that. And a faith-based movie studio came up with a clever marketing tactic that caught on like wildfire. As a for-profit business, they're taking the ball and running with it.
What we're left with is a movie that, if it existed on an island as a piece of art divorced of the real people that made it, would not be problematic. Uncomfortable? Sure, but not evil. It's a movie people absolutely love, with an A+ CinemaScore and a near-perfect audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. That's rare air. But this movie can't exist on an island, and there are real people who are now getting a great deal of attention who are using this moment to spout falsehoods, and rubbing elbows with America's leaders.
I'm not here to tell people what movies they should or shouldn't see. What I am here to do though is try to shine a light on a situation that has become politicized and muddy. The conspiracies are false, the problematic elements are real, the movie is a runaway hit that the industry could sorely use. These appear to be the truths at the heart of it all, for better or worse.