'Sound of Freedom' investors get massive payout after film strikes gold at box office

Investors in the marketing budget for "Sound of Freedom" saw a 20 percent return, according to media release from Angel Studios on Wednesday.

According to the release, "6,678 Angel Guild members have now received $1.20 for every $1 they invested into the launch budget" for the film.

In less than six weeks, "Sound of Freedom" has pulled in nearly $175 million, outpacing both "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" and "Mission Impossible -- Dead Reckoning -- Part One" to become the surprise hit of the 2023 summer.

"Sound of Freedom is a true story film that exposes the darkness of child trafficking," the distributor says on the film's website. "A federal agent saves a boy from traffickers, but his sister is still captive. He embarks on a dangerous mission, risking his life to free her from a fate worse than death."

The film highlights the very real problem of human trafficking, with an emphasis on the sex trafficking of children, but its director says some of the conspiracy theory-related themes ascribed to "Sound of Freedom" are not actually present in it.

“It’s heartbreaking, and it hurts me," screenwriter and director Alejandro Monteverde told The Los Angeles Times in an interview published Monday, when asked about the connections made by some viewers between the film and Q Anon conspiracy theories.

"The minute they started labeling it with conspiracy theories, it discredits the purity of the work. A lot of times, I’m like, ‘Wow, all this headache would have gone away if it was just based on fiction. None of this would have happened.’ … If you’re telling me that there is all these conspiracy theories in the film, terminologies, that I’ll see symbols of pizza and the names Q or Z, or whatever -- no. There’s none of that.”

Monteverde told the Times that he knew lead actor Jim Caviezel was right for the part when they first met.

"When I was casting, I was looking for someone very passionate about the subject matter. It’s like if you do a movie about global warming, you don’t want the actor who shows up in a Hummer. You look for the actor that cleans up plastics on the beach.

"When I first had dinner with Jim, I saw how close to his heart was this thing," he added. "He himself adopted three of his children from China. I don’t want to talk about his private life, but this theme was very close. His conviction to want to shine a light on this was so deep that he got emotional. The first time I met him, he was crying."

According to Deadline, "Sound of Freedom" is slated for international distribution starting later this week in South Africa.

It will then open in 20 more overseas territories, including Mexico and Columbia, later in August.

Angel Studios' full media release appears below.

Provo, UT—August 16, 2023

Angel Studios -- a platform and studio empowering filmmakers to crowdfund, create, and distribute films and TV series globally, backed by thousands of Angel investors -- has paid back SOUND OF FREEDOM crowdfunding investors their original investment plus a 20% profit. A total of 6,678 people invested in the project to support the P&A (Prints & Advertising) marketing budget for the film.

“6,678 Angel Guild members have now received $1.20 for every $1 they invested into the launch budget for SOUND OF FREEDOM, and we are thrilled to be able to get funds back to them in three months,” said Neal Harmon, CEO of Angel Studios. “The Angel Guild is key to our theatrical strategy and paying out as quickly as possible is always our first priority.”

SOUND OF FREEDOM is based on the true story of former government agent Tim Ballard who quit his job to rescue a little girl from sex traffickers in the Colombian jungle. In the process, Tim ended up saving 123 people, 55 of which were children, from one mission alone. SOUND OF FREEDOM is beginning its international roll out, launching in 21 countries before September 1 and moving toward a global goal of 75. The sleeper hit of the summer, the film has earned over $172M in the box office since its July 4 release, and remains in over 2,000 theaters after 5 weeks.

For more information, go to https://angel.com/freedom

About Angel Studios Angel Studios is the home of stories that amplify light. Through its platform, thousands of “Angel” investors choose which titles will be created, funded, and distributed. Angel Studios allows creators and audiences to form passionate communities around their creative projects, making the story behind the story as important as the final project itself. Learn more at angel.com.

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.

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