Sound of Freedom, the anti-child-trafficking drama starring Jim Caviezel, has emerged as the No. 1 grossing movie on July 4, surpassing Disney’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny while playing on far fewer screens.
In the final tally, Sound of Freedom grossed $14.2 million on 2,634 screens on its opening day of July 4, for a strong per-screen average of $5,407, according to data from BoxOfficeMojo.com.
Indy 5 mustered $11.7 million on 4,600 screens for that day, notching a per-screen average of $2,543.
The irony is that the Walt Disney Co. shelved Sound of Freedom when it acquired 21st Century Fox in 2019. (Fox was set to distribute the movie.)
It has taken producer Eduardo Verastegui nearly three years to disentangle Sound of Freedom from Disney’s hands and raise the money to release it through Angel Studios.
Sound of Freedom benefited from a strong social media push from conservative influencers as well as endorsements from Mel Gibson and Gary Sinise, who aren’t involved in the movie. There was also a “pay it forward” effort, which allowed ticket buyers to purchase seats for other people who might not be able to afford it.
Mel Gibson
Go See #SoundOfFreedom
Out July 4th. pic.twitter.com/MIS2wiuhUv— Ray (MAGA) 🇵🇱🇺🇲🐸 (@RayLaFleur27) July 1, 2023
Powerful trailer for my friend Jim’s new film Sound of Freedom. Coming tomorrow July 4. https://t.co/o3UQHZ3xqT
— Gary Sinise (@GarySinise) July 3, 2023
Based on the life and career Tim Ballard, Sound of Freedom stars Jim Caviezel as a Homeland Security agent who quits his job in order to bring child traffickers to justice. Oscar-winner Mira Sorvino, who urged her Twitter followers to see the movie, co-stars as his wife, Katherine.
Indy 5 is shaping up to be the latest box-office fiasco for the beleaguered Disney. The title fell short of its already deflated five-day projection of $85 million, bringing in just $82 million domestically.
Overseas ticket sales are also weak on the back of lackluster reviews and a middling level of fan enthusiasm.
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