Amazon Prime Video has secured the rights to one of the hottest box office releases of 2023: Angel Studios’ “Sound of Freedom.”
The Jim Caviezel-led thriller snared more than $180 million at the domestic box office during its run, outpacing big studio films such as “The Flash,” on a budget of just $14.5 million. It also made nearly $250 million worldwide.
The film will stream on Prime Video in the U.S. starting Dec. 26. Neither company commented on the financial details of the streaming deal.
“Sound of Freedom,” which tells the story of a real-life government agent who quit his job to rescue a young girl from sex traffickers in Colombia, captured audience attention, luring back moviegoers week after week after its $14.2 million opening over the July 4 holiday weekend.
Part of “Sound of Freedom’s” box-office success was due to a campaign from filmmakers to urge moviegoers to buy tickets that can be claimed online for future screenings by those who may not be able to afford them. Angel Studios calls the model “pay it forward.”
That’s not the only unique thing the studio did for the film. Angel Studios actually used its crowdfunding model to raise $5 million to distribute the film after 20th Century Fox, which previously held the rights to it, was bought by the Walt Disney Co. and shelved its release. “Sound of Freedom” wrapped filming in 2018.
The anti-sex trafficking thriller has struck a chord with older audiences, many of whom have not been back to theaters since before the Covid-19 pandemic. It has also become popular in conservative political circles. Former President Donald Trump hosted a private screening of the film at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club over the summer.
Angel Studios, which has become known for its faith-based content, has a wide variety of projects on the docket going forward. The studio is set to release a sci-fi thriller called “The Shift” in December and a biographical drama called “Cabrini” in March.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated how many “pay it forward” tickets Angel Studios sold for “Sound of Freedom.”
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