Showbiz


Sound of Freedom Sends Powerful Box Offi ce Message


Audiences cooling on “woke” Hollywood, turn indie “values” flick into a smash hit.


I BY MARISA HERMAN


t was the unexpected smash hit movie of the summer. Within a month of its July 4 release, Sound of Freedom had


sold $130 million worth of tickets at the box offi ce. Film buff s say it’s another example


of audiences telling Hollywood they’ve had enough of “woke” movies. Sound of Freedom, a low-budget, par-


tially crowdfunded movie based on a true story, focuses on a federal agent saving chil- dren from sex traffi cking rings in Colombia. That plot seemingly


couldn’t be further from the fl icks it was compet- ing with: Margot Rob- bie in Barbie and Tom Cruise in Mission Impos- sible 7.


Experts say it is just


the latest example of how conservatives are choos- ing to spend their money on merchan- dise and entertainment that align with


46 NEWSMAX | SEPTEMBER 2023


It’s the latest example of how conservatives are choosing to spend their money on entertainment that aligns with their beliefs.


their values. The fi lm’s success comes on the


heels of recent boycotts of major brands such as Bud Light, Target, and Kohl’s after they promoted “woke” marketing campaigns and merchan- dise.


“Americans are


fi nally pushing back,” said David Johnson, an Atlanta-based marketing and branding expert. Sound of Freedom has


managed to outshine its more hyped competi- tion despite the eff orts of some in Hollywood and the establishment media to discredit the film,


which stars Jim Caviezel, an openly Christian actor best known for his role


in Mel Gibson’s 2004 The Passion of the Christ. But rather than critique the script,


direction, or even Caviezel’s acting in the role of Tim Ballard, a former gov- ernment agent who travels to danger- ous places to rescue traffi cked children, the fi lm’s detractors seemed to settle on eviscerating the fl ick as purportedly “QAnon-adjacent.” For many in corporate media,


QAnon has become a catchall for a host of right-wing political views, some of which are considered “conspiracy theories.” “For reasonable haters, it’s called a ‘Christian’ movie,” said movie review- er James Carrick, who runs Worth It or Woke?, a website that calls out the “woke” themes infi ltrating many modern fi lms. “For unreasonable


©ANGEL STUDIOS


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100