(LibertySociety.com) – The long-awaited release of the Sound of Freedom movie finally arrived over the 4th of July holiday, with a massive number of tickets sold before the movie officially opened in theaters. By July 2, over $10 million in tickets had already been bought, signaling a high interest in the controversial film.
Angel Studios used social media to promote the film to Americans, and many people who wanted to encourage others to view the movie on the big screen made donations to purchase tickets that would then be offered for free to others. This marketing tactic is likely to pay off for Angel Studios, as the film’s budget was only $25 million.
The film is mostly based on a true story about Tim Ballard, who was a Special Agent for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) before founding Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R), a nonprofit organization that rescues children who are trafficked across the world, including within the United States. Jim Caviezel, who played Jesus in The Passion of the Christ film, portrays Ballard in the Sound of Freedom. Caviezel has committed to spreading the word about child trafficking and has also adopted three children from China. In a recent interview with Fox’s Lighthouse Faith podcast, he discussed the battle between good and evil, but pointed out the biggest problem, which is people who are “riding the fence,” stating that “The devil owns the fence.”
Caviezel spoke about the number of children who go missing each year, which he believes the media intentionally declines to report. According to Caviezel, over 85,000 children went missing in 2022 and nearly “300,000 children under the age of 18” were trafficked in the United States. He noted that Americans consume the most child pornography in the world and that the film threatens the lucrative industry. He hopes that the film will bring more attention to the tragic reality and force more meaningful action to shut down trafficking networks. Box office numbers since the film opened have yet to be released, but the presales suggest a net positive for Angel Studios will be highly likely.
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