“Sound of Freedom,” the indie sensation that grossed $180 million domestically, has decided to expand its territories and the results are quite stunning. No toxic media coverage can keep this movie down.
It turns out, the film is #1 at the box-office in 18 different Latin-American countries: Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Belize, Paraguay, Chile, Uruguay, Argentina and the Dominican Republic.
In other parts of the world, the film is #1 in New Zealand, #2 in Australia, #2 in South Africa and #4 in the United Kingdom. No word yet on a French release. However, the film’s global revenue is still dramatically lower than its domestic haul.
So, why is “Sound of Freedom” so popular in Latin America. Well, for one, the film’s setting takes place in that area, and its tackling of child trafficking surely hits home — 30% of the world’s trafficked children reside in Latin America.
“Sound of Freedom” follows a Homeland Security agent (Jim Caviezel) tracking down a little girl abducted by sex traffickers. Disney infamously dumped the film during its 2019 takeover of 20th Century Fox. Angel Studios bought the rights to the film and released it independently.
What I’m most fascinated by, when it comes to “Sound of Freedom,” is not its qualities as a film — it’s good, very watchable — but rather by its success as a $15 million independent production. It’s made $180 million domestically and the way it was financed through crowd funding.
This isn’t just good news for “faith-based” movies, it’s good news for any indie filmmaker looking for his or her movie to branch out. What Angel Studios is doing might the pave the way for the future of a struggling industry. Crowd investing!
I’m seeing plenty of “worst of the year” mentions for “Ice Cream Man,” which doesn’t surprise me one bit. Roth has never been a critical darling and has only been more burdened by that with each passing film.